Heroes of Olympus - Trilogy Of Blood
by Insert Valid Author Name
Summary: Re-uploaded after takedown. The best made plans never survive first contact with the enemy; Percy Jackson, newly-turned vampire and reluctant participant in the Great Prophecy of Eight knows this better than most. Now, armed with an arsenal of new powers and strengths, he sets out on a journey to defeat Gaia and protect all that he loves. AU starting in SoN. Perlia.
1. Preface

**PREFACE**

" _On December 13_ _th_ _, 2009, Perseus "Percy" Jackson, Son of Poseidon and Hero of Olympus, disappeared from his summer home at Camp Half-Blood, a safe haven for those of godly parentage. His girlfriend, Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, initiated a series of search groups to find the lost hero, in the hopes that he would be found and reunited with his friends and family._

" _It was not to be so._

" _On December 16_ _th_ _, 2009, new information was discovered in the form of three demigods: Piper McLean, daughter of Aphrodite; Leo Valdez, son of Hephaestus; and Jason Grace, Roman son of Jupiter, though he was plagued with Amnesia and could not remember his heritage. The three friends set out on a quest to release Hera, Queen of the Heavens from an Earthly prison created by Gaia, Primordial of the Earth. The quest was a success, and Jason, now Champion of Hera and Juno, rediscovered his Roman Heritage, and returned to Camp Half-Blood with his friends._

" _However, Jason's Roman heritage was not the only thing discovered. Hera and Juno, two faces of the same entity, were aware of the return of Gaia, and placing faith in an ancient prophecy, dubbed the "Prophecy of Eight," executed a plan to unite Greek and Roman demigods to face the new threat. In October of 2009, they had kidnapped Jason Grace from Camp Jupiter, the Roman equivalent to Camp Half-Blood, and erased his memories so that he would be trusted by the Greeks._

" _The same was done to young Percy Jackson, who lay in slumber. The plan set by Hera and Juno was for him to awaken in April of 2010 at the Wolf House, the sacred place where Lupa, the Mother of Rome, made her home and trained Roman demigods, so that he would be trained by the Wolf goddess and learn the ways of the Legion._

" _However, some things are not meant to go according to plan, for as they say, the best of plans will never survive first contact with the enemy. And so our heroes were forced down a path of blood, darkness and sorrow, with no light at the end of the tunnel, their only hope lying in the mysterious words and visions granted by ancient artifacts of power, artifacts created and written in the blood of gods._

" _But the night it darkest before the dawn. Love blossoms, power taints, and friendships are forged in an unforgettable journey…_

" _The Trilogy of Blood begins."_

 _A smile curves over purple-colored lips and a pale face as a witch closes the blood-stained cover of the book placed on a golden pedestal. Turning away, she laughs, walking away into the darkness. "Oh, I do so enjoy my games…_

" _Especially when people die."_


	2. Book 2: Of Monsters and Vampires

**Re-uploaded after takedown on October 17, 2015.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own neither Twilight, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, or Heroes of Olympus. All rights go to Rick Riordan and Stephanie Meyer, respectively.**

… **ooOoo…**

Heroes of Olympus – Trilogy of Blood

Book 2: Rites of Blood

Chapter 1 – Of Monsters and Vampires

 _February 2010 – Somewhere north of Seattle_

The snake-haired ladies were starting to annoy Percy.

They should have died three days ago when he dropped a crate of bowling balls at a Bargain Mart. They should have died two days ago when he ran them over with a police car. They _definitely_ should have died a few hours ago when he cut off their heads in Lincoln Park.

All the same, they would return, reforming and taking shape minutes after he would kill them, forcing him to flee. It was a sickening game of cat and mouse, with the difference that the mouse fought back and the cat had multiple lives. Sooner or later though, the lives had to run out. At least, that was what Percy prayed for.

Not that he was getting an answer.

Percy stumbled as he ran up a hill, but quickly caught his balance once more and kept running. He'd only survived this far because the two snake-haired ladies – _gorgons,_ they called themselves – couldn't seem to kill him either. Their claws didn't cut his skin, and their teeth broke when they tried to bite him. But Percy couldn't keep this up much longer. Soon he would collapse from exhaustion, and then – as hard as he was to kill, he was sure the gorgons would find a way.

Where to run?

He scanned his surroundings. Under different circumstances, he might've enjoyed the view. To the south, the trees and mountains of the Olympic National Park stretched as far the eye could see, Twilight descending over the forest. To his right, there was a small city whose name he didn't know, filled with several hundreds of people who didn't want their morning interrupted by two monsters and a filthy demigod.

Should he try to cross to make it to the water?

It was tempting. He could feel the power of the sea over the horizon, and it was making him slightly giddy. Water always revived him, but salt water was the best. He'd discovered that when he strangled a sea monster near Grey's Harbor. If he could reach the bay, he could make a final stand. Maybe he would be able to drown the gorgons.

But the shore was at least two miles away. He would have to cross an entire city.

He hesitated for another reason. The she-wolf Lupa had taught him to sharpen his senses – to trust the instincts that were supposed to guide him south. Unfortunately, his encounter with the gorgons soon after leaving the wolf house in Sonoma Valley forced him to turn north, and away from his objective, his memories, and Annabeth, the only person he remembered from his past, as his memory was frustratingly dim. The wolf had promised he would see her again and regain his memory – _if_ he succeeded in his journey.

Obviously, things were not going as planned. He _was_ going in the opposite direction, after all.

The wind changed, allowing Percy to catch the scent of reptile. About a hundred yards down the slope, near the edge of the city, something rustled in some bushes – snapping branches, crunching leaves, hissing.

Gorgons.

For the millionth time, Percy wished their noses weren't so good. They always said they could _smell_ him because he was a demigod – the half-blood son of some Roman god. Percy tried rolling in mud, splashing through creeks, even keeping air-freshening sticks in his pockets so that he would always have that new-car smell; but apparently demigod stink was hard to mask.

Turning away from the city, and by extension, the sea, Percy ran into the Olympic forest at a dead spring, slowing down to avoid branches and have sure footing. How in the Hades had the gorgons managed to get in front of him? He wasn't sure, and he really didn't want to find out. Hopefully he could lose them for a while in the forest; in fact, if there were gods in the sky, maybe he could get the first few minutes of sleep he'd had in days.

Yeah, when pigs fly. And somehow, Percy knew that pigs _did_ fly.

Finally, darkness settled in, and Percy could barely see in front of him. Kneeling, he slung his backpack off his shoulders and opened it, examining its contents. He'd managed to grab a lot of supplies at the Napa Bargain Mart: a portable GPS, duct tape, lighter, super glue, water bottle, camping roll, a Comfy Panda Pillow Pet (as seen on TV), and a Swiss army knife – pretty much every tool a modern demigod might want. Unfortunately, the flashlight he had picked up had suffered the grueling fate of being Gorgon chow a few weeks prior, so he was going to have to improvise.

A few minutes later, he had made a make-shift torch out of some scattered firewood and the pillow pet. He really hadn't wanted to use the pillow pet, as he had become quite fond of it, but really, he didn't see much choice; it was either lie down and die, or keep moving. And to keep moving, he needed light.

 _And God said, let there be light,_ Percy thought as he ran off once more into the forest. So far, trouble had avoided him, and he was glad for the respite, short as it was. Suddenly, a twig snapped, and his head snapped in the direction of the sound. A few moments later, he heard a distinct hiss and snarl. Looking around, he realized that on three sides, he was surrounded by trees, but behind him a huge boulder blocked the way. He'd managed to get himself cornered.

He cursed and pulled his pen out of his pocket.

The pen didn't look like much, just a cheap regular ballpoint, but when Percy uncapped it, it grew into a perfectly balanced bronze sword. The leather grip fit in his hand like it was custom designed for him, and etched along the guard was an Ancient Greek word Percy somehow understood: _Anaklusmos_ – Riptide.

He'd woken up with this sword his first night at the Wolf House – two months ago? More? He'd lost track. He'd found himself in the courtyard of a burned-out mansion in the middle of the woods, wearing shorts, an orange t-shirt, and a necklace with strange clay beads. Riptide had been in his hand, but Percy had had no idea how he'd gotten there, and only the vaguest idea who he was. He'd been barefoot, freezing, and confused. And then the wolves came…

Right next to him, a familiar voice jolted him to the present: "There you are!"

Percy stumbled away from the gorgon in surprise, almost falling to the ground.

It was the smiley one – Beano.

Okay, her name really wasn't Beano. As far as he could tell, he was dyslexic, because words got twisted around when he tried to read. The first time he'd seen the gorgon, posing as a Bargain Mart greeter with a big green button that read " _Welcome! My name is STHENO,"_ he'd thought it said BEANO.

She was still wearing her green Bargain Mart employee vest over a flower print dress. If you looked just at her body, you might think she was somebody's dumpy old grandmother – until you looked down and realized she had rooster feet, or looked up and saw the bronze boar tusks sticking out of the corners of her mouth. Her eyes glowed red, and her hair was a writhing nest of bright green snakes.

The most horrible thing about her? She was still holding her big silver platter of free samples: Crispy Cheese 'n' Wieners. Her platter was dented from all the times Percy had killed her, but those little samples looked fine. Stheno just kept toting them all across California and Washington so she could offer him a snack before she killed him. Percy didn't know why she kept doing that, but if he ever needed a suit of armor, he was making it out of Crispy Cheese 'n' Wieners. Those things were indestructible.

"Try one?" Stheno offered.

Percy fended her off with his sword. "Where's your sister?"

"Oh, put that sword away," Stheno chided, "You know by now that even Celestial Bronze can't kill us for long. Have a Cheese 'n' Wiener! They're on sale this week, and I'd hate to kill you on an empty stomach."

"Stheno!" The second gorgon appeared so fast on Percy's right he didn't have time to react. Fortunately she was too busy glaring at her sister to pay him much attention. "I told you to sneak up on him and kill him!"

Stheno's smile wavered. "But, Euryale…" She said the name so it rhymed with _Muriel,_ "Can't I give him a sample first?"

"No, you imbecile!" Euryale turned toward Percy and bared her fangs.

Except for her hair, which was a nest of coral snakes instead of green vipers, she looked exactly like her sister. Her Bargain Mart vest, her flowery dress, even her tusks were decorated with 50% off stickers, but her name badge read _"Hello! My name is DIE, DEMIGOD SCUM!"_

"You've led us on quite a chase, Percy Jackson," Euryale said, "But now you're trapped, and we'll have our revenge!"

"The Cheese 'n' Wieners are only $2.99," Stheno added helpfully, "Grocery department, aisle three."

Euryale snarled, "Stheno, the Bargain Mart was a _front_! You're going native! Now, put down that stupid tray and help me kill this demigod. Or have you forgotten that he's the one who vaporized Medusa?"

Percy stepped back. A few more inches, and he'd have his back against the rock itself. "Look, ladies, we've been over this. I don't even _remember_ killing Medusa. I don't remember anything! Can't we just call it a truce and talk about your weekly specials?"

Stheno gave her sister a pouty look, which was hard to do with giant bronze tusks. "Can we?"

"No!" Euryale's red eyes bored into Percy. "I don't care what you remember, son of the sea god. I can smell Medusa's blood on you. It's faint, yes, several years old, but _you_ were the last one to defeat her. She _still_ has not returned from Tartarus. It's your fault!"

Percy really didn't get that. The whole "dying then returning from Tartarus" concept gave him a headache; of course, so did the idea that a ballpoint pen could turn into a sword, or that monsters could disguise themselves with something called the Mist, or that Percy was the son of a barnacle-encrusted god from five thousand years ago. But he _did_ believe it. Even though his memory was erased, he knew he was a demigod the same way he knew his name was Percy Jackson. From his very first conversation with Lupa the wolf, he'd accepted that this bat-shit crazy messed-up world of gods and monsters was his reality. Which pretty much sucked.

"How about we call it a draw?" he said, "I can't kill you. You can't kill me. Besides, it you're Medusa's sisters, like _the_ Medusa who turned people to stone, shouldn't I be petrified by now?"

"Heroes!" Euryale said with disgust. "They always bring that up, just like our mother! 'Why can't you turn people to stone? Your _sister_ can turn people to stone.' Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, boy! That was Medusa's curse alone. _She_ was the most hideous one in the family. She got all the luck!"

Stheno looked hurt. "Mother said _I_ was the most hideous." That made no sense to Percy, since they were basically twins. Not that he was going to check that later.

"Quiet!" Euryale snapped, "As for you, Percy Jackson, it's true you bear the mark of Achilles. That makes you a little tougher to kill, but don't worry, we'll find a way."

Percy blinked, and the image of his back popped in head for no reason. "The mark of what?"

"Achilles," Stheno said cheerfully. "Oh, he was _gorgeous!_ Dipped in the River Styx as a child, you know, so he was invulnerable except for a tiny spot on his ankle. That's what happened to you, dear. Someone must've dumped you in the Styx and made your skin like iron. But not to worry, heroes like you always have a weak spot. We just have to find it, and then we can kill you. Won't that be lovely? Have a Cheese 'n' Wiener!"

Percy tried to think. He didn't remember any dip in the Styx; then again, he didn't remember much of anything. His skin didn't feel like iron, but it would explain how he'd held out so long against the gorgons.

Just then, there was a lumbering sound, and a giant shaggy-haired ogre emerged out of the foliage. It was about eight feet tall, and it only wore knee-length surfer shorts. Its skin was sunstroke red, and covered with tattoos of dragons, hearts, and bikini-clad women, though his chest was dominated by one that said _Joe Bob RULZ_. It was carrying a huge club that looked like it had been made from the bone of an even bigger creature, and it smiled when it saw Percy, baring pointy teeth.

It laughed, "Ah, it seems we meet again, Perseus Jackson! I've been waiting for some tasty demigod, and you've just volunteered to be my dinner! Even better, you don't have your one-eyed pet around you!"

"Hey!" The two gorgons whirled to look at the giant, "We were here first!" Euryale cried.

The giant blinked at them as if it had just noticed them, "So?"

Cue the argument. Percy had no idea what the giant was, but he definitely knew that he was at a major disadvantage. With the two gorgons on each side, the giant in front of him, and the rock behind him, he was trapped. On top of that, it was three against one. Hopefully though, the argument between the three could prove to be enough of a distraction for him to make his getaway. If he _did_ have to fight, Riptide would taste blood again, but he would prefer to also have a defensive weapon instead of a torch, like a shield, or a branch, or… His eyes landed on Stheno's large silver snack platter.

Hmm…

Stheno caught him looking. "Reconsidering?" she asked, "Very wise, dear. I added some Gorgon's blood to these, so your death will be quick and painless."

Percy's throat constricted, "You added your blood to the Cheese 'n' Wieners?"

"Just a little," Stheno smiled, "A tiny nick on my arm, but you're sweet to be concerned. Blood from our right side can heal anything, you know, but blood from our left is deadly-"

"You dimwit!" Euryale turned away from Joe Bob, as Percy decided to call him, "You're not supposed to tell him that! He won't eat the wieners if you tell him that they're poisoned!"

Stheno looked stunned, "He won't? But I said it was quick and painless."

"Never mind!" Euryale's fingernails grew into claws. "We'll kill him the hard was – just keep slashing until we find the weak spot. Once we defeat Percy Jackson, we'll be more famous than Medusa! Our patron will reward us greatly!"

"As long as I get to eat him and get revenge for my brothers, I'm happy to help," said the giant.

"Fine," Euryale relented, "But we get the tracker awards! We've been chasing him for months!"

"Fair enough."

Percy gripped his sword. He'd have to time his move perfectly: a few seconds of confusion, burn Euryale, grab the platter with his left hand…

 _Keep them talking,_ he thought.

"Before you slash me to bits," he said, "who's this patron you mentioned?"

Joe Bob sneered, but didn't say anything. Euryale elaborated, "The goddess Gaea, of course! The one who brought us back from oblivion! You won't live long enough to meet her, but your friends below will soon face her wrath. Even now, her armies are growing in numbers, and will soon start the march south. At the Feast of Fortune, she'll awaken, and the demigods will be cut down like… like-"

"Like our low prices at Bargain Mart!" Stheno suggested.

"Gah!" Euryale stormed towards her sister, and Percy took the opening. He threw his torch to the giant, who howled in pain and anger, grabbed Stheno's platter, scattering poisoned Cheese 'n' Wieners, and slashed Riptide across Euryale's waist, cutting her in half.

He raised the platter, and Stheno found herself facing her own greasy reflection. "Medusa!" she screamed.

Her sister Euryale had crumbled to dust, but she was already starting to reform, like a snowman un-melting. "Stheno, you fool!" she gurgled as her half-made face rose from the mound of dust. "That's just your own reflection! Get him!"

Percy slammed the metal tray on top of Stheno's head, and she passed out cold. Hopefully, since she wasn't dead, she wouldn't wake up anytime soon. One down, two to-

 _Slam!_

The giant's club slammed into his back, and he was thrown into the air, hitting a thick tree and snapping it in half. Percy hit the ground face down, dazed and with no control whatsoever of his limbs. Even though he (surprisingly) was hurting that much, there was an annoying burn near the small of his back, opposite his navel.

Unfortunately, the giant wasn't done playing with him yet, and it brought the club on his back, smashing him into the ground.

The resulting _crack_ was heard for miles around, though it had nothing on the scream of agony that followed.

… **ooOoo…**

 _Elsewhere…_

A few miles to the west from where the young hero was being cornered, a creature flitted through the night as it hunted. She moved to fast for the average mortal to be able to see her, but if she had stood still, they would have described a goddess.

And stand still she did, when the sound of foreign agony reached her ears.

Bella Cullen nee Swan prided herself in her ability to be able to resist the singing of blood, even after over seven years of having achieved her full year as a newborn vampire. She was one of the few members of her family to actually be able to resist the smell of freshly spilt blood.

The female _Stregoni Benefici_ called upon her ability now.

There was no doubt in her mind that the scream had come from a human. What kind of torture was the poor creature being submitted to that would create such agony? For a moment, the thought of the Italian Volturi vampire coven presented itself in her mind, along with the fear for her daughter, but it was quickly cast aside. _Alice would have seen them coming,_ she thought, _so what's going on?_

The wind changed directions. In a way, curiosity was the fatal flaw of the common vampire, and Bella was no exception. The strange smell of reptile and another equally repulsive smell piqued her curiosity, and she found herself running through the forest once more, her hunt forgotten. It wasn't until she was almost to the site that she realized that her hunting instincts had alerted her of human blood in the area, but it only served to make her run faster. If she heard correctly, the scream was from a young human, less than twenty years old. And judging from the heartbeat, which she was close enough to hear now, they were dying.

And then she saw the creatures.

Hesitating for a moment, and a moment only, Bella silently jumped into a nearby tree so that she could get the advantage of height. It wasn't until she was settled into her perch that she saw the broken body of a young handsome teenage boy, barely older-looking than her daughter. His eyes were closed, but his body looked like it was no stranger to pain, if the multiple scars were anything to lead by. What scared Bella was the unnatural position of his legs, and the fact that his heartbeat was slowly diminishing. The image of her daughter, Renesmee Cullen, entered her mind, and rage took over her senses.

She let out a snarl, and the three monsters looked at her in surprise.

They died quickly. They were no match for her speed and strength, and they never even realized what was going on until they died, the two rooster-foot creatures crumbling into dust, and the ogre dissipating in a column of flames, which she was keen to avoid. When the dust mounds tried to reform, she kicked at them, and the deed was done. Bella glanced at where the creatures had stood before, her mind whirling in confusion. She'd never seen anything like them, but to be honest she wasn't surprised at her ignorance – time and time again this world had thrown surprise after surprise at her and her family, so in a way she'd become rather immune to them.

Then she turned to the boy. He was almost dead, his heartbeat stuttering. At this point, there was no doubt in Bella's mind that only one thing would save him, but she knew that if she took him to her father-in-law, he would not survive, even at her speed.

There was no hesitation as she kneeled next to him, she turned him face up, and exposing his jugular, sank her teeth in his flesh.

It was difficult, at first. The resulting keening sound surprised her, as it was the sound of vampire skin tearing, but she had no doubts in her mind that he was human when his blood filled her mouth. Immediately her bloodlust raged, the burn in her throat almost taking control as she was tempted to swallow-

Her throat heaved, disgust welling in her stomach as _something_ in the boy's blood repulsed her. Sure, there was an incredible scent to it, something that she was sure no other human she'd smelled had, but in the background there was something else that lurked under the surface, something that made Bella's skin crawl and had every instinct in her body scream for her to let go, to run away and leave this boy's body behind to die and eventually rot.

She held strong, however, and she pulled her teeth out when she was sure that the venom that coated them had entered the boy's bloodstream. She licked the wound, wincing at the delicious/repulsive taste of blood and the venom in her saliva proceeded to quickly healed it, sealing the venom inside his body. She then moved to the boy's wrist, proceeding to repeat the process multiple times in different pressure points, each time with the same keening sound of steel tearing, the boy's skin as tough as a vampire's. Her deed done, she leaned back, the boy in her arms as she spit to the side what little blood there was in her mouth. Finally, she waited, listening to his slowing heart.

After a few seconds, it jump started, and she knew first-hand the pain he would be feeling as the venom changed him.

It was until then that she noticed her phone vibrating. Looking at the caller id, she figured that her sister, Alice Cullen, had seen her do what she had done with her precognition abilities.

"Bella, what's going on?"

Bella ignored the question, "Alice, tell Carlisle to prepare for a guest. I've managed to get the venom into his system, and I've got a bad feeling that he's going to wake up soon. I'm on my way." She hung up after that, and after pocketing her phone, she scooped the now-shivering teenager into her arms, taking off at a run towards her new destination.

A few minutes later, she heard the sound of running, and she recognized their owners immediately.

"Edward, Nessie," she called at a normal volume, not slowing down. Her husband and child quickly caught up to her.

To say the least, they were surprised when they saw the human in her arms.

"Alice called. Bella, what…?" Her husband, Edward Cullen, trailed off, when he saw the boy.

"I'll explain everything, right now we need to get him to the house," she interrupted him, not stopping or taking a breath to answer. Edward complied, glancing at his teenage-looking daughter. Renesmee Cullen, or Nessie for short, had her eyes trained on the boy in her mother's arms, not knowing the significance of the event she was witnessing, or her role in the events to come.

A few seconds later, their objective was in sight and their pace quickened. The family of three jumped over the river bordering between the property and the forest, their leap something to be seen in its grace and fluidity. At least, that was the case of Edward and Bella, as when Renesmee landed she stumbled slightly. They quickly ran into the house, where the rest of the Cullen famiiy waited. Her family's expressions when they saw the boy ranged from concern, to surprise, and in one case, anger.

"What happened?" asked her father-in-law, Dr. Carlisle Cullen, as he took the boy's limp body from her arms.

"He was attacked," she said, waving her hands anxiously, following the Cullen elder as he took the body to his study, which had already been redecorated in preparation for his new patient. "I heard the scream when I was hunting, I just ran to him, there were these _things_ standing over him-!" She stopped, taking a breath she didn't need to calm herself down. "Carlisle, I'm sorry, I couldn't let him die. His back's broken, I could feel the bones when I was carrying him, and those creatures-"

"Creatures?" Carlisle glanced at her as he set the boy down on the operating table in the room. Already he was flitting around, grabbing syringes and filling them with morphine, judging from the scent.

"I don't know what they were. I've never seen anything like them before," said Bella as the rest of her family crowded around behind her. She glanced at Alice. "Did you see…?"

"No," came the distressed answer, "I called because you just disappeared. When you showed back up, part of you was blurry, like when you were pregnant with Nessie." Alice shook her head, her expression troubled as her husband, Jasper, held her close. "I'm sorry."

"No, it's alright…"

"What in the world?" Carlisle's words brought Bella's attention back to him, where he was holding a syringe with a bent needle in his hand.

She immediately knew what happened. "His skin is like ours," she said. "It was tough. Felt like biting into… well, another vampire." Her eyes landed on the boy. "The monster that did this to him… it was big. Like, _really_ big. His back must've taken a big hit for it to break the way it did."

Just then, the front door opened and a new, heavier set of footsteps made themselves known, climbing up the stairs. "Here comes the mutt," Bella heard Rosalie mutter, making her smile slightly – she and Jacob had really never gotten along.

"Bella, what the hell?"

She turned towards the voice, and glared at Jacob Black, local wolf shape-shifter, in annoyance. Jacob was glaring at her as well, but for different reasons. "Bella, the treaty-"

"Can screw itself for all I care. Jake, if you had seen the things that were attacking him, you would've done the same." At his expression, she sighed. "If it helps, I'm sorry for breaking the treaty, but there was no other choice. I'm sorry."

His answer was cut short by the sudden scream of agony in the studio. Bella whipped her head around, looking at the teenager, who had started to writhe on the table in agony, legs limp. _It's starting,_ Bella thought, _It's starting, and now it won't stop until it heals him… changing him…_

 _And turning him into one of us._


	3. Book 2: Of Life and Death

**Re-uploaded January 4** **th** **, 2016.**

 **It's been more than three years, I think four, since I started this story. Some asshole reporting me for something I didn't do and getting this story taken down isn't going to stop me. Fuck. That.**

 **You'll be getting these updates once a week.**

… **ooOoo…**

 **So, to start off, I'd like to seriously thank ALL of my new followers, reviewers, and favoring alerts. My inbox is getting** _ **swamped**_ **from the alerts I'm getting; I honestly had no idea that his story would get such a huge impact :DDD Thank you all!**

 **By the way, I had to edit the first chapter, so I re-uploaded it. The dates were wrong. This all occurs in February of 2010, not April of 2009, as was stated in the previous chapter. On top of that, I've decided that for the sake of this story, we have reached the point where Renesmee/Nessie has fully matured, which means this all takes place seven years after the events of Breaking Dawn. Again, this also means Nessie's birthday is September 11, 2003. You should be able to figure out the rest of the dates by yourselves.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The Twilight Saga, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, or Heroes of Olympus. All rights go to Stephanie Meyer and Rick Riordan, respectively.**

Heroes of Olympus Book 2: Rites of Blood

Chapter 2 – Of Life and Death

 _February 2010 – Cullen Coven_

Agony. Pain. Eternal suffering. Torment. Punishment.

None of these words described with even a hint of accuracy what he was feeling.

His body tried to reject the pain, but he was sucked again and again into a blackness that cut out whole seconds or maybe even minutes of the agony, making it that much harder to keep up with reality.

He tried to separate them; non-reality was black, and it didn't hurt so much, but there was nothing – no memories, no names, no _self identity._ Sure, it wasn't as bad as the pain, but the alternative of losing himself was something that terrified him to his core, even if he didn't know why, but that's why he need to get out of this binding-

Reality was red, and it felt like his body was being sawed in half, hit by a bus, punched by Hercules, trampled by a Minotaur, and dipped in acid, all at the same time, times fifty. Reality was remembering his name _(Percy, Perseus Jackson, take_ that _pain!)_ , remembering why he had to fight, remembering everything he'd forgotten and _oh gods he didn't want to remember_ because it hurt so _much._ Reality was realizing that he couldn't give up, not for one second, because up until know he'd _never_ even considered it, and that hurt more than anything.

It didn't even begin to describe the pain.

Reality was feeling his body twist and flip when he couldn't possibly move because of the pain. Reality was knowing there was something so much more important than all the torture, and not being able to remember what it was while at the same time knowing exactly why that was.

Reality was just so _sudden._ Reality freakin' _hurt_.

He had known the moment that the giant had hit him with its club that it was over. Past invulnerability or not, he had felt his ribs break on impact, and slamming against a tree was no walk in the park. And when the club was brought down on his back with full force, he felt his spinal cord snap. Strangely though, that wasn't what had hurt the most. No, the moment the club impacted, he'd felt something, a burning sensation in the small of his back which was suddenly all over his body. It was in that moment that he realized where his weak spot, his Achilles heel, was located. This terror was eclipsed by the sudden realization that he couldn't feel anything.

And then, there was a flash of relief as darkness took him. He was in a lobby of some kind, and there were a bunch of people milling about. Percy felt himself pulled forward towards the security desk, where a familiar-looking tall elegant man, with chocolate-colored skin and bleach-blond hair was sitting down. He wore an Italian silk suit that matched his hair, and there was a black rose pinned to his lapel under a silver nametag.

Somehow, Percy already knew that this was Charon, ferryman to the underworld. Said ferryman looked up in surprise.

"Well, well, well," he said in a strange accent, "What do we have here? Percy Jackson, welcome back… and dead this time, too, mate! Got a drachma for passage?"

"Uh…"

"Ah, forgive me! No need ta worry, I still got some o' 'em coins you gave me the last time you were here." The man winked at him, patting one of the pockets on his suit, which jangled in an obvious manner. "Out of curiosity, how _did_ you die this time?"

Percy blinked, and told him about the ambush. Charon nodded, "Well, every hero's luck runs out a' some point. Though…" Charon looked to both sides and behind him before leaning forwards, "you know… I'll let ya in to a little secret." The boatman of the Underworld beckoned him closer, leaning over the elevated security booth. Percy leaned forward as well, his memory suddenly _there_ and making him realize that this was very important.

Charon spoke in a whisper, "Gaia opened ol' Thanatos' doors between life and death, and if you want… you could just turn around right now and go back. And don't worry about 'im chasing ya back down 'ere. He's chained up somewhere north, and as long as you stay under the radar, he won't find you!" Charon grinned at him, making the spirits surrounding them squeal in fright. "So what'll it be, mate? Next boat out'll be a special delivery!"

Percy frowned, "So I could just walk out of here? What about Hades? I mean, Pluto?" Ah crap, that's right, two pantheons. Just _great_. "Won't he be a little…?"

"Miffed?" suggested Charon, "Annoyed? I don't think so. Hades has a lot on his plate; he and the Furies are more focused on the high-security escapees from Punishment and Tartarus, so they won't notice you slipping back."

Percy gave him a skeptical look. "What's the catch?" he asked.

Charon a _are you kidding me_ look. "Well, other than if ya ge' caught you get a one-way ticket to the Fields o' Punishment?"

Percy winced. "Point taken," he said.

He looked away from the boatman, his mind far away in a place called Camp Half-Blood. Death, it seemed, was the secret to recovering his memories, a fact that he took advantage of while he could. The memories of the camp and the happy days he'd lived there made his chest contract, so he moved on from that. He closed his eyes, going through the things he'd learnt since he'd woken up.

First, he'd been asleep, put away for maybe two month before waking up at the Wolf House. The existence of the Roman gods was perhaps one of the mind-warping things he'd learnt – he was already rebelling against the thought. Which was probably why, he thought, his memory had been erased. He'd been meant to integrate himself with them, he though, but _why_ though was a big question.

Second, the people he'd left behind. Annabeth, his mother, his friends… Jeez, what had gone on since he'd disappeared? Were they alright? Annabeth was probably going crazy, considering that this was a repeat of what had happened at Mt. Saint Helens. Worse still, his _mother_. Holy Poseidon, his _mother._ His mother must be in…

"Oh gods," he said, turning to Charon. "Listen, I know you probably get this a lot, but is there any way for me to find out from here-?"

"No," said Charon. "Death is absolute. Or was until Gaea started messing wi' things around 'ere."

Percy sighed. "Okay, I guess that shouldn't surprise me," he said. It still sucked though. "What about-?"

"I can't tell ya anything," holding a hand up, "only that ya runnin' out o' time."

Indeed, the spirits surrounding them were getting even more and more restless, heading towards the elevator right next to the booth. Charon growled at them, and immediately they moved away.

Charon looked back at Percy. "So, make a decision yet?" he asked.

Percy sighed. Obviously there wasn't an easy way out of this, but if he wanted to find out what happened to his friends and family, _and_ figure out why he'd been put to sleep and had his memory erased to infiltrate _Romans…_

Well, he hadn't survived without keeping his mind open to things.

"I guess I'll see you some other time," he said, and Charon nodded impassively.

"Good luck then, mate," he said, shaking Percy's hand – something that momentarily perplexed him as he wasn't exactly corporeal. _It must be his connection with the dead,_ Percy thought. Charon continued, "One las' thing… you might wanna get so' insurance while yo' up there. Wouldn't want ya showing up back here for a few more years, now would we? Might even lose that virginity o' yours. Ha!"

Before he could respond with an indignant, "Hey!" there was a flash of light, a barrage of senses and then-

 _Oh, yippee! I just died, came back from the dead, and my body apparently is still being submitted to immeasurable amounts of pain! On top of that, I forgot the souvenir, because I can't remember anything again and ohmygodsTHISFREAKINGHURTSAAAARGH!_

It was bewildering. He had at least expected some sort of relief from the pain, but it really wasn't surprising. What _did_ surprise him was the familiarity of the pain; somehow he knew that he had experienced something similar in his past, and that it was just as painful. Perhaps even more so than the current experience. Still, the swiftness of coming back to life had not prepared him for such experience, and he released a scream of undiluted agony.

Then, his wolf-mentor's voice managed to pierce the haze that was his mind, even though he himself couldn't form coherent thoughts.

 _Letting others know of your pain, Perseus Jackson? That's not very Roman of you. Do you wish to be known to others as a weakling? Do you wish for others to respect you? Do you wish to survive in the legion? Then hold your tongue, pup, and suffer in silence._

So he did. Every second was an hour, every minute a week, every hour a year. And yet, he clenched his jaw, stiffened his muscles, and did not indicate that he was in any pain whatsoever. Faces flashed across his vision, faces that he recognized, and yet didn't. A girl with grey eyes – Annabeth. Another girl, this one with spiky hair and a tiara, with electric blue eyes – a friend? Family? A woman, with brown hair and kind eyes, with a smile that would light the world. A man that looked exactly like him, with green eyes, black hair, and a crinkly-eyed smile. He didn't know who they were, and they were gone as soon as he saw them even as he knew who they were in his heart-

For the record, he hated amnesia.

All he wanted was to die, to never have been born. The whole of his existence did not outweigh this pain. Then he remembered that, ironically, he had chosen this by turning his back on Charon. He had wanted to live. He had wanted to go back to his family. Now it seemed like a hideous joke that he was getting his wish fulfilled.

And, for a never-ending space, that was all there was. Just the fiery torture, and his soundless howls, pleading to whatever god, greek or roman, that was listening for whatever was happening to him to end. Nothing else, not even time; it made it infinite, with no beginning and no end. One infinite moment of pain.

The only sign of change came when, impossibly, his pain was doubled. The lower half of his body, deadened since before he had died, suddenly set on fire, too. Some broken connection had been healed, knitted together by the scorching fingers of the flame.

Soon after that, he somehow became accustomed to the pain. It wasn't that it became more pleasant, per se, but Percy began to develop a new capacity for experiencing it, a new sensitivity to appreciate, separately, each blistering tongue of flame that licked through his veins.

At the same time, time began to mean something again. His hearing got clearer and clearer, and he could count the frantic, pounding beats of his dying heart to mark the time. He could count the shallow breaths that gasped through his teeth. He could also count the low, even breaths that came from somewhere close to him. Those moved slower, so he concentrated on them, since they meant the most time passing. More even than a clock's pendulum, those breathes pulled him through the burning seconds toward the end.

Percy continued to get stronger, his thoughts becoming clearer and more coherent. So, when new noises came, he listened.

There were light footsteps, the whisper of air stirred by an opening door. The footsteps got closer, and he felt pressure against the inside of his wrist. He couldn't feel the coolness of the fingers; the fire blistered away every memory of cool.

"Still no change?" A man's voice, calm, steady.

"No." A woman this time, with a voice like bells.

The lightest pressure, breath against his scorched skin.

"There's no scent of anything foreign in his body. No morphine or any kind of poison, other than that scent we couldn't identify."

"I know. Did Alice find out what his name was?"

"Perseus Jackson, Percy for short. Lives in New York with his mother and stepfather, but he was reported missing since December of last year."

"How does a missing New Yorker end up in an Olympic forest being mauled by… whatever those thing were?"

"I don't know, Bella. Only he can tell us."

"Percy? Can you hear me?"

Percy knew, beyond all doubt, that if he unlocked his teeth he would lose it: he would howl and screech and writhe and thrash. If he opened his eyes, if he so much as twitched a finger… any change at all would be the end of his control. Not that it was much to begin with, but still.

"Percy? Is that your name? Can you open your eyes?" The voice – Bella, he thought – paused, "Can you hear me?"

Percy's resolve wavered when he heard the concern in her voice, but a second later it was back where it was supposed be, and he stayed paralyzed.

"Maybe… Carlisle, maybe I was too late…?"

"Listen to his heart, Bella. It's stronger than even Emmett's was, almost on par with yours. It's just so _vital._ He'll be fine."

Yes, Percy was right to stay quiet. Even though he didn't recognize the voices, his opinion of them increased with the fact that they were worried over a complete stranger. Even though the possibility of them being the catalysts for the current situation was very likely, the fact that they had concern for him was… heartening. Besides, the man, Carlisle, would reassure her.

"And his spine?"

"His injuries were no worse than yours or Esme's. The venom will heal him as it did to the both of you."

"But he's so still. I _must_ have done something wrong…"

"Bella, you were exactly the same way-"

"Because the morphine forced me to, Carlisle! I was bound and gagged by it, so I couldn't move even if I wanted to! Even though I wanted to scream, to plead… I couldn't."

The sudden intake of breathe was an obvious sign to Percy that something was wrong, at least to them.

"Carlisle, he doesn't have… he _should_ be moving, screaming, hell I don't know-!"

"Calm down, Bella. Why didn't you say anything?"

A sigh. "I didn't want to cause Edward unnecessary pain. He was already beating himself up over the fact that I had been turned, and with everything that happened with Nessie... Besides, once the morphine was completely burned out by the venom, it was me the one that decided not to move."

"Then maybe the same thing applies. Maybe it's by choice that he's not moving. Don't beat yourself up over this, Bella. You did great."

A sigh, "There are so many things that I just don't know…"

"Neither do I. The fact that he had vampire skin, with human blood in his veins… I would almost venture a guess and say that he was a half-breed."

 _Wait, what did he say!?_ Or at least, that's what Percy _would_ have thought but was more along the lines of _ggrrahck!_

"He wasn't. I mean, not _all_ human, definitely, but mostly human. It was nothing like I had ever smelled or tasted before, but… it reminded me of La Push for some reason. And the beach in Jacksonville."

"Is that so? Interesting…" was the only thing that Carlisle said.

Through all this, the racking fire went right on burning him, but there was so much space in his head now. Room to ponder their conversation, room to remember what had happened, room to look ahead to the future – something that Percy was very sure he did not do often – with still endless room left over to suffer in.

Carlisle's footsteps faded away, and Percy was frustrated by the lack of more information, so he went back to counting the nearby breaths – which he now knew were made by Bella – to mark the time.

Ten thousand, nine hundred forty-three breaths later, a different set of footsteps whispered into the room. These were lighter though… more rhythmic. _Funny,_ he thought, _since when can I distinguish one set of footsteps from another by hearing?_

"How much longer?" asked Bella.

"It won't be long now," answered an unknown female voice, "He's becoming clearer, but there's still some blurriness in the way." She sighed, "It's Nessie all over again."

"You're still bitter over that?"

"You would be too, if you realized that you were handcuffed by your own nature. I see vampires best, because I am one; I see humans okay, because I was one. You know I can't see Nessie or Jacob because they're neither human nor vampire, even after spending so much time with them! Gah!"

"Focus, Alice." At last, a name to place for the owner of the voice!

"Right. He's almost too easy to see right now. Ugh, déjà vu." The young woman, Alice continued, "He's going to be fine."

"You sure about that?"

"Of course I am! Don't you know not to bet against me?"

"You weren't so sure two days ago."

"I couldn't see him two days ago. But now that he's almost there, it's a piece of cake at this point."

"Could you concentrate for me? Like an estimate?"

Alice sighed. "So impatient. Reminds me of Edward when you were turning. Fine. Give me a sec-"

Quiet breathing.

"Well?"

"Bella!"

"What?"

"You very well know what!"

"Will you tell me already?"

"Will you let me tell you already?"

"Ugh. Remind me why I haven't killed you yet?"

"Because you'd miss me. He'll be up before sunset, in about six hours."

"Thank you, Alice." Bella's voice was brighter, which unbeknownst to her matched Percy's mood.

"He's going to be a looker. I mean, not that he wasn't before, but damn… if I wasn't married to Jasper I'd take him."

"Alice!" Bella sounded scandalized.

"What, as if you wouldn't?"

A gasp, "I would never leave Edward… though I will admit he is cute."

Alice giggled to Percy's utter mortification, "You shouldn't have said that, he'll be here in two minutes."

"Alice, if you tell him _anything,_ so help me, I will wreck your Porsche."

"You wouldn't- Oh, no wait, I just saw you would. Ok, ok, fine, I won't tell him anything."

Percy was a little more than embarrassed because of what he had heard, but the words nonetheless gave him hope that maybe he didn't resemble the charcoal briquette he felt like. It seemed to him that at this point the only thing left of him was a pile of charred bones; to him, every cell in his body had been reduced to ash.

He heard Alice breeze out of the room. He heard the swish of the fabric as she moved, rubbing against itself; he heard the quiet buzz of the light hanging from the ceiling; he heard the faint wind brushing against the outside of the house. He could hear _everything._ However, the Yankees game being watched downstairs – how did he know that? – was not enough to distract him, so he resumed counting Bella's breaths.

At least, until Bella spoke to him.

"Hey," she whispered. "I know you can hear me. I know exactly what you're going through right now, and I just wanted to let you know that it's okay." Percy felt his hand being taken into a soft grip with deceptively strong fingers – Percy could _feel_ the muscles them. "You're going to be fine. It's almost over, I promise."

Cloth moved next to him, and there was the feeling of moving air touching his skin. Was Bella moving _over_ him or something-?

Soft lips touched his forehead. Even with the newly-acquired control over his body, Percy couldn't help but twitch in surprise, making Bella gasp.

"Percy?" she asked, still in the same whisper.

He didn't move again, and a few minutes later Bella returned to her silent vigil next to him, though she didn't let go of his hand.

Twenty-one thousand, nine hundred seventeen and a half seconds later, the pain changed.

The good news was that the pain was slowly starting to fade from his fingertips and toes, which had to mean _something._ The bad news was that the pain in his throat changed to a parched type of burning, like he was thirsty and he hadn't had a drink for a year – dry as bone.

Even more bad news: His heart was getting a double-dose of fire, and it was quick to react, its already too-fast beat picking up as the fire drove it to a new frantic pace.

"Carlisle, Edward," Bella called with a low voice. Judging from the fact that he could hear practically everything, Percy assumed that Carlisle and the unknown person would hear Bella's call. Sure enough, almost immediately Carlisle entered the room, followed by Alice and an unknown set of footsteps – Edward, he assumed – just as the fire retreated from his palms, leaving them blissfully pain-free and cool. Again, it continued to retreat to his heart, which started to blaze like a godly aura and beat at a furious new speed.

"Listen," Bella told them.

The loudest sound in the room was his frenzied heart, pounding to the rhythm of the fire.

"Ah," said the newcomer, Edward, "It's almost over."

Percy's relief at his words was overshadowed by the excruciating pain in his heart.

"Soon," agreed Alice, "I'll get the others."

"Edward, have Jacob take Nessie to La Push, I want her safe," Bella said. Percy's curiosity was piqued by the multiple mentions of this "Nessie", but again, that was exterminated as well. By now, his wrists were free, as were his ankles; the pain was truly extinguished there.

"Of course, love." Edward darted away, his pace extremely quick. Too fast, Percy decided, to be human.

The fire started to drain from his elbows and knees, ripping hotter still through his chest.

"I'll bring them right up," said Alice, an urgent edge to her tone, and he heard the swish of wind as she darted away as well.

And then- _snap!_

Percy's heart took off, beating like helicopter blades, the sound almost a single sustained note, to the point that it almost felt like it was grinding against his ribs. The fire flared up in the center of his chest, sucking the last remnants of the flames from the rest of his body to fuel the most scorching blaze yet. The pain was enough to stun him, and it broke his iron grip on his control, forcing his back to arch as if the fire was dragging him upward by his heart, a painful grunt escaping his lips.

As he slumped back to the table, the fire constricted, concentrating inside the one remaining organ with a final unbearable surge. The surge was answered by a deep, hollow-sounding sound. Percy's heart stuttered twice, and then thudded quietly again just once more.

There was no sound. No breathing. Not even his.

For a moment, the absence of pain was all he could comprehend.

And then, he performed the greatest miracle of his life.

He opened his eyes.

… **ooOoo**

 **Songs:**

 _ **Project 46 – Signs (feat. Shantee) – Monstercat 025 – Threshold**_

 _ **F.O.O.L. – Need you – Monstercat 025 – Threshold**_

 _ **WRLD – Fighter – Monstercat 025 – Threshold**_

 _ **Televisor – Dangerous (feat. Danyka Nadeau) – Monstercat 025 – Threshold**_

… **yeah, I** _ **really**_ **like Monstercat. Out of all of the above,** _ **Dangerous**_ **is the freakin' best.**


	4. Book 2: Of Blood and Ecstasy

**Re-uploaded on January 13** **th** **, 2016**

… **ooOoo…**

Heroes of Olympus Book 2: Rites of Blood

Chapter 3 – Of Blood and Ecstasy

 _February 2010 – Cullen Coven_

When his eyes opened, Percy couldn't help but stare in wonder.

Everything was so clear, like a pane of blurry glass had been removed from his eyes and revealed the true beauty of the world he lived in. He could see every particle of dust, every pore in the ceiling, every color produced by the lights above him. Heck, he could even see colors he'd never seen before, even if he couldn't put names to them.

Everything was beautiful, and he could see it all.

It was so shocking that he couldn't help but suck in a breath in surprise, revealing an entirely new array of tastes and scents to him. _He could taste the air around him._ He could smell the overpowering scent of salt and seawater that rolled off of himself, he could taste the dust that entered his throat, he could… words could not describe what he was experiencing.

Especially since he could also taste the scents of living creatures _very_ close to him.

His head whipped in the direction of the scents, revealing eight creatures of supreme magnificence and beauty. Every one of them was beautiful, and there was a grace about them that portrayed a sense of power and nobility. They all shared pale skin and yellow eyes, but the similarities ended there. Hair, facial characteristics, body structures, they were all different. What worried him, though, was their postures. They were sure-footed, and another breath revealed the tension in the room.

They perceived a threat in Percy.

Immediately, a bubble of sound ripped itself from Percy's throat as he flipped himself off from his burning pyre, the world around him spinning so fast that it should have blurred – and yet, he could still see everything. His feet landed in a crouch at the same time that his animalistic snarl was distinguished, and then-

He paused.

Why did he snarl? Was he an animal? Had he spent too much time with the wolves, to the point that he had picked up their defensive traits under a perceived threat? Was he a monster? His eyes widened as he considered the last possibility. What had these… _things…_ done to him?

"Percy?"

His head snapped in the direction of the brown-haired woman that had called him, recognizing the voice immediately. She was standing slightly behind a bronze-haired male, who was eying him suspiciously.

"You're Bella, right?" he asked, blinking in surprise at the sound of his new voice. It was slightly deeper, more majestic, steadier, and it rang with a tone of authority; it was the type of voice he'd originally attribute to someone like his father, or any other god.

He was brought out of his musings by Bella's response. "I am. How are you feeling?"

Percy took a moment to consider the question, finally giving his answer, "I think I feel fine, but I'd still like to know what the Hades was done to me."

As if practiced, they blinked in unison at the word _Hades._ Bella frowned at his choice of words, but before she could answer, a man in a doctor's garb stepped forward. Again, when he spoke, Percy recognized the voice as well.

"My daughter found you in the woods very close to death," Carlisle said, pausing uncertainly. "You were, well… your back was broken, most of your ribs were shattered, and you had multiple cracks in your skull. On top of that, your lungs were punctured and most of your digestive system had seen better days. Simply put, Bella made a choice and saved your life."

"And how did she do that, exactly? Because I am pretty godsdammed sure that I _did_ die." Memories, clear as day, of a meeting with Charon pretty much confirmed _that._

Carlisle sighed, "Tell me Percy, what do you think we are?"

Percy frowned. _Pale skin, allure…_ He took a wary step back. "Uhh, this may sound weird, but… are your legs real?"

They all looked at each other in confusion, though the bronze-haired male blinked and started chuckling for no reason. When the others gave him questioning glances, he spoke, revealing his identity as Edward, "He's asking because our descriptions match those of a vampiric she-demon called an empousa; the most distinguishing feature is that they have mismatched legs."

Percy elaborated on Edward's explanation, though he took into account that Edward somehow knew what he was talking about beforehand, "One of their legs is made out of bronze, and the other… it's a donkey leg."

Wrong thing to say, because a seriously hot blonde glared at him with annoyance, "Does it look like we have donkey legs?"

Percy raised an eyebrow at her, "I've seen those things disguise themselves as cheerleaders. I didn't realize what they were until they removed the glamour. They know how to hide."

The blonde scowled, but didn't say anything. Edward smirked, "Sorry to disappoint you kid. Take another guess."

Percy made an exasperated sound, "I don't have time for this." He reached into his pocket, noting that his clothes had been changed – while embarrassing he was mentally crossing his fingers that it was one of the women – and his hand curled around Riptide. He pulled the pen out, uncapping it and revealing the bronze blade.

Percy's captors backed off in surprise at the blade, hissing their distaste, a distaste that he surprisingly shared in. The vibes that Riptide was giving him were the _if-I-touch-you-you-die_ kind, the kind that he really didn't want to be getting from the sword that had saved his life so many times since he'd gotten it when he was twelve. Thankfully it was for a few moments only, since whatever power that the sword possessed seemed to recognize him as its owner and it stopped giving him chills to just hold it.

 _What in the name of Poseidon was that?_ He thought, _Is… is Riptide alive? Is it sentient?_ A memory, long-buried and almost forgotten, of a beautiful black-haired girl turning a hairclip into a sword before giving it to a man who'd turn his back on her in the next instant came to mind. _Riptide was created with the power of Zoe Nightshade – it's like her old symbol of power. Is part of her still in the sword?_

It was something to be looked into, but not right now, considering that the threat he'd felt from Riptide before was still being felt by the group of vampires in front of him. One of them moved forward to attack, but was held back by a small pixie-like person (vampirette? Did the word even exist?).

Even from a distance, Percy heard the frantic whisper, "Jasper, no! If you attack, he'll kill you! He won't attack us as long as we give him answers!" _Alice,_ thought Percy, _That's her voice I heard, the one who could tell when I was going to wake up. That's everyone I recognize by their voices. Now to give names to the rest of them._

Alice stepped forward, "Look, Percy, there's no other way to say it. We're vampires. You were dying, and Bella saved your life by turning you into one of us. I'm sorry."

Percy blinked, Riptide's tip lowering slightly towards the ground. "Vampires?" he asked, surprised by the sheer novelty of the idea. "Wait, like Count Dracula and stuff? Allergic to garlic, crosses, sunshine and holy water, vampires?"

Alice looked chagrined when she said, "Um, no, none of that, but we do sparkle in the sunlight!"

A second of silence. "Wait, what!?"

A few minutes later, Percy _still_ hadn't relaxed.

"Ok, let me get this straight. Number one, you're all vampires." United nod of agreement. " _Numero duo_ , you don't drink human blood, but instead you drink animal blood as a substitute." Another nod. "Three, because I was dying – and I wasn't joking when I said that I _did_ die – you decided that the Hospital wasn't enough of a life-saver and that exiling me from humanity by turning me into a vampire _was the best solution?"_ This nod was more hesitant, though looks were sent towards Bella, who ignored them, her own expression certain and resolute. Percy closed his eyes, pinching his nose with his free hand – the other was still holding Riptide. "Did I miss anything?"

A moment of silence, and Percy nodded, "Okay, then." He opened his eyes, taking in the guarded, nervous expressions of each member – except for Alice, who seemed to smile knowingly and was starting to bounce on the balls of her feet. Percy sighed, and capped his sword, turning it back into a pen instantaneously. Everyone relaxed at Riptide's disappearance, but they still eyed his pen warily, even after he put it in his pocket.

"So… what's next?"

Bella looked at him with a smirk, "Your first hunt. Some of us are going to go with you to give you pointers, so don't worry about not knowing what you're supposed to do. We'll help you out."

Percy nodded, unsure of what to say, but Alice held up a hand, "Whoa, hold your horses there guys. Percy, stay right there!"

Percy blinked. "Wait, wha-?"

Bella rolled her eyes as Alice breezed out of the room faster than the human eye could track – not that he was still human anymore. Turning to Percy, Bella said, "She did the same thing when I was turned, so forget weaseling out of this. Besides, you'll thank her later."

Percy's intelligent response as Alice walked in holding a huge 6-by-2 foot mirror – Vampires have super strength? _Nice!_ – was along the lines of, "Uh…"

His answer was cut off when he saw the person in the mirror.

The person, no, creature in the mirror was… godly. There was no doubt in his mind that the mirror was reflecting an immortal; after all, the image was perfection. His hair was now even darker, edging on pitch black. His body had somehow became even _more_ lean and muscular, and somehow he was slightly taller, ranging around six feet. What shocked him the most though were his eyes; before his transformation he sported the sea-green eyes of his father, but now his eyes were a vivid crimson. If he peered closely, however, he could see tiny flecks of green around his pupil, and he was relieved.

"Wow…" he said, "Damn, I look _good_."

All the females, even Rosalie, the stiff unsmiling silent blonde, agreed.

… **ooOoo…**

"Through the window?"

"How else did you think this would happen?"

"The front door, maybe? They've been popular since like, forever."

"Now what would be the fun in that? We _are_ vampires, after all."

Percy rolled his eyes at Alice's comments. "Fine," he relented, "have it your way. If something breaks, I'm blaming you."

Alice grinned in a way that reminded him of a Cheshire cat, "One thing that you'll learn in this family is to never bet against me. Now, out you go." She pushed him towards the open window, and rolling his eyes he grabbed the sides and hauled himself up.

 _Crack!_

His eyes widened in surprise at the sound, and he quickly pulled his hand away from the now-cracked frame, his hand having left a perfect imprint in the wood.

"Don't worry about it," said a voice behind him. _Esme,_ he remembered. They had gone through the introductions quickly, and Percy was surprised to find out that he actually remembered their names and associated voices and faces. Esme Cullen, for example, was Carlisle's wife, and she sported a heart-shaped face with caramel-colored hair, with a soft and caring personality that reminded him of his mother. He looked at Esme, and she gave him an apologetic smile. "You're a newborn vampire," she said, "It'll take some time before you can actually control your strength. Heavens know how long it took Emmett."

"He actually never managed," said Edward with a smirk. Emmett, the muscled curly haired vampire, shoved him, but as if he expected it, Edward quickly moved out of the way.

"Boys, behave," Esme chided.

"Yes, mom," they said in unison. Esme just smiled at their antics, and Percy was hit with a wave of sadness. It wasn't fair, after all, that he had to lose all the memories of his family and friends, including those closest to him, and suddenly remember them but not be able to be with them.

 _Deal with that later,_ thought Percy, _right now, time to hunt._ His throat flared in response to the thought, and he quickly looked out of the window, missing Edward's frown and glance in his direction.

Percy looked down from the windowsill he was perched on, expecting the slight nausea that came from heights. He was surprised, however, that when he looked down he simply just… looked down. No vertigo, no nothing.

So not wasting any time, he jumped.

He expected the ground to rush up, but again, he was surprised to find that while the ground did rush up, he felt that he had more than enough time to prepare for his landing. It wasn't that he was slowing down, it was the fact that he was thinking faster.

Idly, he wondered if that was the ADHD, or a new freaky vampire version of it.

So, it was more than enough time for him to place his feet on the ground – what in the name of Hades' underpants was he _wearing?_ He was going to _kill_ the person that played dress-up doll with him – without losing any balance or stumbling at all. In fact, his landing was so good that he barely made a sound, just a small thump that could only be picked up by vampiric sense of hearing.

Four thumps behind and next to him alerted him to the fact that Alice, Jasper, Edward and Bella had joined him.

"Not bad for a newbie," said Bella, smiling, "Surprised?"

Percy chuckled, "A little… Oh, and Alice?" Said vampire raised an eyebrow, "I'm blaming you for the window."

Edward and Jasper let out full-blown laughs, but Bella let out a small giggle. Percy could hear the laughter coming from inside the house, including Emmett's loud guffaw and Carlisle's chuckle. Alice, for her part, gave him a look that promised vengeance.

Percy gave her a cheeky grin as he started to unbutton his shirt. Immediately the others gave him curious looks, while Edward nodded knowingly with a small laugh.

"I like this shirt," said Percy as an explanation, "But I don't think that it's suitable for a hunting trip." He got no answer, due to the fact that as soon as Alice and Bella saw his chest they downright gaped. Bella for her part looked away – Percy was sure that if she could blush she would – but Alice was getting a very… unique expression. It reminded him of an incident that occurred with the children of Aphrodite back at camp, when Annabeth had accidentally ripped his shirt during training. Thank the gods Silena had been there…

Percy smiled at the rush of relief that having his memories back gave him. Maybe the price to get them back was a little high, but if it let him think back on his friends and family with a smile-

Family.

Oh, _snap._

"I'm not sure that would be a good idea."

Percy looked at Edward with a confused expression, shirt still open, and the man elaborated. "Calling your mother," he explained.

"Wait, how did you-? You can-!?"

"Yes," said Edward, "but it's only me. Alice has visions of the future, Jasper is an empath, and Bella can cast mental shields over an area. As vampires, we have... special talents, for lack of a better word."

Percy blinked. "That's… seriously cool. When do I get mine?" he asked.

Edward shrugged. "Who knows?" he said. "For everyone, it's different. Keep in mind though, it's usually based on your strongest aspect when you were human. It could be anything from extra strength, to manipulation over the four elements, to reading _every_ single thought you've had while you've been alive."

Percy grinned. "Sweet!" he said. He glanced at the river located a ways from the house, picturing the water rise up in a massive wave. Behind him, Edward chuckled at the image, only to make a surprised noise when the thought was replaced by a memory – the cruise liner _Princess Andromeda_ being rocked by waves, washing everything on board into the sea while a thirteen-year-old Percy and his friends escaped with the Golden Fleece.

Percy glanced at Edward, wincing. "You saw that, huh?" he asked.

"Edward, what's wrong?" asked Jasper, getting close to his brother. The emotions he was getting from him… awe and wonder were there, but _fear_ was a surprise.

The younger Cullen ignored him. "Perseus Jackson, you're going to owe this entire family a _long_ explanation about who you are," he said.

Percy nodded. "I will." He glanced at Bella and Alice, who were watching the proceedings with keen eyes. "Shall we?" he said, but Alice had already moved, looking bored.

"It really sucks to wait when you already know what's going to happen," she said, grabbing his hand and tugging him to the river. "Now, take that shirt off and run. We'll be right behind you," she said, winking at the shirt part and making Percy squirm slightly. Jasper gave a small chuckle at this. Percy sighed, and once Alice stopped pushing him, he turned to the river and the forest, and by extension, his current hunting grounds.

He quickly discovered his vampire speed.

Within a second, he was at the edge of the river, diving into the water. His vision was already superb underwater when he was human, but now it was simply… it was like going from black and white to High Definition. A quick blast from his powers, and he shot forward and out of the river on the other side. The ease with which he controlled his powers with the small test pleased him immensely.

Running off into the forest with the others right on his tail, he let out a whoop of exhilaration at the speed he was running. Things weren't blurring due to his new sight, but that only made the experience even more worthwhile. He could see every microscopic hair on every leaf, the movement of the branches as the wind blew through them. Inhaling, his nose was filled with an array of scents: earth, branches, leaves, everything that was in the wind. He could hear the heartbeat of small nearby animals, hear them cower in fear as he ran past.

He was a hunter, and they were his prey.

"Percy," he heard Jasper call. Stopping suddenly, without skidding, Percy looked back and realized that he had, quite literally, left the others in the dust. A few moments later, the four vampires had caught up to him, smiling in amusement.

"Unless you want to hunt in Canada, we should do it here," Jasper said. Percy would've blushed in embarrassment if he could, but then he realized that since he had no heartbeat, no blood would rush to his cheeks or ears in embarrassment. Besides, he could control his expressions quite well; it was part of Lupa's training after all.

So, he settled for a surprised expression, and a quip in response, "Whoa, Jasper… I'm sorry man, but we just met. Besides, I'm straight."

Edward, Bella and Alice howled in laughter as Jasper blinked, before realizing to his ultimate horror what he had just said. His expression was enough to destroy Percy's self-control, and he joined in with the laughter.

After a while, the laughter quieted down, and Edward said, "Alright, enough dawdling around. Perce – can I call you Perce? – I want you to listen carefully, ok?" At Percy's nod of confirmation, he continued, "I want you to close your eyes, and focus on your other senses. First, listen to the forest around you." Percy obeyed, closing his eyes and listening. It was incredible, being to hear _everything_ , but after a few moments he remembered that he was hunting. A few moments later, and he had located his prize: a multitude of heartbeats near a source of running water, all of them pumping with the elixir he needed. His mouth started to water, filling with… venom, he supposed?

Percy opened his eyes, "To the north? A herd near the river?" The four vampires nodded their affirmative.

Edward continued, "Good job. Now, close your eyes again, and this time, focus on the air. Use your sense of smell." Just then, the wind changed direction, blowing to the south and carrying an array of scents, including water. Somehow, it didn't appeal to him, and while the scent that accompanied it was tempting, it was no better.

Percy wrinkled his nose, "Ok, that's nasty."

All of them chuckled. "Herbivores," said Edward, "The meat eaters smell more like humans, so they're more appetizing. Deer and Elk, not so much. Still, it's good practice for the moment, so whenever you're ready."

Percy rolled his eyes, "Screw it, I'm thirsty." With that he took off towards the herd, his bloodlust started to overcome his senses, the burn in his throat unbearable at this point. A few seconds later, he was rewarded with the sight of nine deer and an elk drinking water from the river. In a split-moment decision, he pounced at the elk, any hasty plans thrown right out the window at the sight of the animal. His bloodlust was in complete control at this point, so he didn't see nor hear the rest of the animals run away in fear; all he saw was his prey, which was now under him, paralyzed in terror. Letting out a snarl, he pounced on its neck, his razor-sharp teeth cutting through the thin muscle like a hot knife through butter. Blood filled his mouth, and he eagerly drank the deer dry.

A few seconds later, he shoved the carcass away from him, disgusted – it had barely done anything to satisfy his thirst, and it had not been… tasty, so to speak. Looking down at himself, he realized that he had been right to leave his shirt behind at the house; his chest looked straight out of a slasher film with all the blood on it. Then, to his chagrin, he realized that while he had focused on one animal, the others had finished four or five. Bella was the only one close to his number, with three. On top of that, the three of them were spotless, not a wrinkle or a drop of blood on their clothes.

Percy scowled, "How is it that-"

"We're finished before you are?" Alice called at him from her most recent kill, "Practice. You'll get used to it after a while."

He rolled his eyes in response, "Gee, didn't see that one coming. I'm going to go find a meat-eating animal that tastes better than this crap." Somehow, the statement did not creep him out at all – in fact, it was almost natural.

"I'll go with you," Bella spoke up. Edward from his kill looked up at her in concern.

"Are you sure love?"

"I'll be fine, Edward," she said, "I'm still freakishly strong, remember?" She turned to me, "Lead the way, Percy."

He nodded, getting up from his kill and capping Riptide. Straining his ears and taking note of the scents in the air, he finally found one to his liking to the east, and he eagerly followed it, taking care not to leave Bella behind in his haste.

After they were out of vampire-earshot, he slowed down to a walk, surprising Bella when he looked at her.

"All right, out with it. I know that you were the one that found me, so I'll give you the honor of being the first person to know. Your boyfriend's been picking stuff from my head, but I haven't given him the full story."

Bella laughed. "Husband," she corrected him. "We've been married for almost eight years." Her smile fell, her expression turning into a frown. "Percy, those things that attacked you… what were they?"

Percy sighed, "The big one was a Laistrygonian Giant, and the other two were the gorgon sisters of Medusa herself."

Bella frowned, "Medusa… isn't that the Greek mythology monster that could turn creatures to stone with her gaze?"

"All legends are based on fact," Percy said wisely, "You've seen the monsters for yourself. Ask yourself this, if vampires exist, what are the odds that the rest of the legends are real as well?"

Bella narrowed her gaze at him, "Who… no, _what_ are you?"

Percy gave her his signature grin, "Percy Jackson, local Grecian demigod, at your service." Bella's expression was _definitely_ going to be committed to memory for eternity. Giving her a bow and a flourish, he took off towards the scent of his next meal.

… **ooOoo…**

Two mountain lions and one she-bear later, Percy was (finally) satisfied. Bella was still giving him wary looks, even though Percy had promised that he would fully explain later in front of her family; he had just wanted to give her a heads-up. She didn't look reassured per se, but she did relax slightly as they ran back to meet the others. After picking them up, they continued on to the house, but this time when they reached the river Percy jumped over it instead of swimming. It surprised him slightly when the water seemed to reach up slightly towards him, but he was demigod – he had seen stranger things in his life, no doubt.

So focused he was on the water that he didn't notice the multiple heartbeats in the vicinity until he had landed. As soon as his feet touched ground, some of the bushes around the house exploded as four wolves the size of hellhounds jumped out of them, snarling at him. In fact, for a moment he had actually thought they _were_ hellhounds, until he noticed the colors of their furs. The one in front of him, for example, was pitch-black, and it was glaring at him with hate and disgust.

Percy wasn't fazed at all. His time with Lupa's wolves had more than prepared him for this type of circumstances, since every now and then they would ambush him in a similar manner. They weren't this big, though. Still, it didn't stop him from meeting the wolf's gaze head on, giving it the best wolf-glare he could.

Four thumps revealed the presence of the Cullen's behind him. Not breaking eye-contact with the animal, Percy held up a hand to stop them from moving closer.

"Sam!" Bella said, "What are you doing here?"

"They're here because the treaty's been broken." An unknown voice came into play, and from the general direction of the house a tall fit russet-colored guy walked towards the group. He was a human, Percy realized with fear as he held his breath.

"Jacob…" By her tone, even Percy could tell that Bella was pissed. Whoever this Jacob was, he was in deep shit. "I swear to God, Jake-!"

"I'm sorry Bella, but this was the only way. If you guys had kept this secret, Sam would have come here to kill, not talk. I barely convinced him to listen." Percy saw Jacob give Bella a pleading look out of the corner of his eye, as he still hadn't broken eye-contact with the Black wolf.

Percy heard Bella sigh, "I had no choice, Sam." At her words, the black wolf broke away from their staring contest and looked at Bella with narrowed eyes. Bella pressed on, "You didn't see how he was, how close he was to dying. Ask Carlisle." She stepped forwards. "Look, I saw a chance to save his life, so I did. I'm sorry about the treaty."

Edward spoke up suddenly in an expressionless voice, "Oh? And who is to say that this wasn't done on purpose? Who is to say that it wasn't you who caused these injuries to him?" Percy was surprised that Edward had said that, but Bella didn't spare him a glance as she kept looking at the wolf. That was when he realized – This "Sam" guy was the wolf, and Edward was reading the wolf's thoughts and projecting them so that everyone could hear.

Percy decided to speak up, "Because I would remember if Bella had been the one to attack me." Sam turned his gaze on Percy, but he continued, "I've killed a lot of monsters in my life. I was stupid, and I got ambushed by a ten-foot tall cannibal giant with a club half around his size. Fucker caught me by surprise; if Bella hadn't shown up when she did, I wouldn't be talking to you right now. And I always pay my debts. Always."

Silence rang after his words, so Percy continued, "So part of that debt includes protecting her from potential danger, if I can. You're messing with something you know nothing about, so I suggest you step down." With that, Percy pulled Riptide from his pocket and uncapped the pen.

When the sword was revealed, the wolves' reactions were similar to those of the Cullen's before them: They jumped backwards in surprise, snarling in distaste.

"Its name, is _Anaklusmos_ ," Percy said, "Which is the Ancient Greek translation for Riptide, the current that takes you by surprise… And before you know it…" Percy turned around and pointed at the river with his free hand. The water exploded outwards, surging up in a massive wave that was at least twenty feet high. Percy was pleased to find that there was no tug in his gut, or any exhaustion whatsoever from the massive amount of power he was using.

Looking at the wolves and the vampires, he smirked. The wolves were cowering, and the Cullen's were having similar reactions. He saw the rest of the vampire family run towards them from the house, but stop in awe at the massive amount of water he was holding up with his mind. Percy willed the water to continue forward, making it reach over the group in the shape of a funnel.

Percy looked at Sam, his crimson eyes glowing with power, "It's too late, and you've been swept out to sea."

With that, he willed the water back into the river. When it was back to normal, he turned back to the wolves and vampires that were assembled around him. He gave them a smile.

"Now then… shall we talk this over like civilized men?"

… **ooOoo…**

 **Sorry for the late update, my last semester of college just started and I got swamped with work. Leave a review!**


	5. Book 2: Of Warnings and Gifts

**Edited and re-uploaded on January 20, 2016.**

… **ooOoo…**

Heroes of Olympus Book 2: Rites of Blood

Chapter 4 – Of Warnings and Gifts

 _February 2010 – The day that Perseus Jackson died_

The first time that Annabeth Chase died was the day that Thalia Grace had been turned into a tree. She had seen her new family ripped away, turned into a tree because of the bitterness of a betrayed god. She saw her best friend and crush start down a dark path, and was powerless to stop him.

Percy had saved her by giving her something worth fighting for.

The second time she died was when she felt the earth shake under the power of Mount Saint Helens. That day, as she ran back to the forge of Hephaestus she heard Percy's scream of agony, and she felt the volcano explode under his raw power – and she knew he was dead.

Again, her Seaweed Brain brought her back to life by showing up just before they burned his shroud, and she prayed for it to be the last time.

Destiny, however, had planned a third death for her.

Months ago, the day-to-day activities were done without pause. People would wake up, shower, dress, go to breakfast, train, study, have lunch, train, study, have dinner, go to the campfire, and finally go to bed. Once a week, the camp would hold chariot racing and capture-the-flag events that were enjoyed by pretty much everyone (except the for the Morpheus kids, they weren't even awake more _normal_ camp activities, much less those). Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena and Architect of Olympus would follow the same schedule as well, with periodic searches of information relating to her missing boyfriend, Percy Jackson.

That is, until that one fateful night that turned everything around.

Apart from the fact that the Hunters of Artemis had decided to visit, the irony was that the day never gave any indication that life would lose its meaning, that it would change in such a way that it would scar every single person at the camp. Annabeth was happy to see her best friend again, and Thalia Grace felt the same way. Nico di Angelo was missing, but everyone was sure that he would show up again – no matter how many times he denied it, Annabeth knew that he enjoyed the campfire and the feeling of home that it gave.

"Annabeth!"

Annabeth turned around to look at Leo Valdez, the younger camper coming up behind her. The son of Hephaestus was in charge of building the Argo II, the flying warship that they would use to travel to Greece to face Gaea. It was because of that reason that the two formed a relationship based on work, so it was out of the norm for him to call at her when they weren't working.

"What is it, Leo?"

Leo gave her a small smile, handing her an inch-thick square package, "Happy Birthday."

Annabeth blinked in surprise. The only ones to have actually remembered it was her birthday were her mother (it had been a _terrible_ gift), Thalia (A longbow made from yew with a celestial bronze string), her father (books by request), Nico (who disappeared immediately after giving her the silver bracelet), and Chiron (a self-replenishing quiver of silver and bronze tipped arrows – he had apparently coordinated with Thalia), so it was a surprise that Leo had even known it was her birthday.

She smiled at him, "Thanks, Leo. How'd you know?"

He shrugged, giving her a sheepish grin. "I kinda noticed Thalia giving you the bow. I didn't really know what to give you, but I do know that birthdays are supposed to be special, so I asked Pipes for an idea." He put his hands in his tool belt, pulling an assortment of scraps that he immediately started fiddling with – of all the demigods in the camp, Leo's ADHD went to whole new level.

Annabeth nodded in thanks, not knowing what to say. She truly wanted one thing for her birthday, but it was obvious that she wasn't getting it any time soon – no new information on Percy had been discovered. Turning to the package in her hands, she removed the tapes from the brown packaging paper and pulled out the box. Inside was the best gift that she had gotten in the entire day.

Annabeth gasped at the digital picture frame displaying different pictures of her and Percy. A few seconds later, the picture changed to one of her, Jason and Thalia that had been taken a few weeks prior.

"I kind of put this together really quick, so I didn't get much of a chance to test it. If it gives you any problems, tell me and I'll fix right up," Leo said, still fiddling with the pieces of junk in his hand. "You can change the frequency that the pictures will change, and if you want to add more, there's a slot on the side for a memory stick. Piper was the one who thought of it, and I just built it, but everyone chipped in with the pictures."

Annabeth looked up at him with tears in her eyes, "Thank you." She hugged Leo, who was so surprised he dropped his toys.

Not that he ever called them that.

His smile was a little more honest when they separated. "Hey, don't mention it. I'll see you tomorrow at the bunker, all right?"

She nodded in agreement, and they left to the campfire where they separated to join their respective cabins. Thalia was giving Leo the evil eye when she saw him come in with her, but she smiled sadly when she saw the expression on her face.

"Hey," she patted the seat next to her, and Annabeth sat, "how're you holding up?"

Annabeth shrugged, hugging the electronic picture frame to her chest. "I'm better now… but I still miss him, you know?"

Thalia nodded, "Yeah, I know. Never thought I'd say this, but I miss him too." Thalia shook her head. "That Kelp Head…"

Silence fell on the two girls as the Amphitheater filled up with campers. Jason Grace, Thalia's brother, approached the two girls, wishing Annabeth a happy birthday as he sat next to his sister, and Annabeth thanked him. After that, Chiron shushed everyone and they started to sing.

Annabeth turned to Thalia as the sing-along's volume grew, "I saw my mother today."

Thalia's head whipped around in surprise, "What!?"

Annabeth nodded once with a wince, "Except… I don't think it was her. I'm pretty sure I was talking to Minerva, because she didn't recognize me at first. She gave me this," she pulled out a silver drachma, like the Ancient Athenians used in the past. "She told me to follow the Mark of Athena, and that I…" She took a breath, "That I should kill all the Romans."

At that, Jason looked over at her with an alarmed expression, "Wait, say that again?"

Annabeth shook her head, "Don't worry, Jason. Thalia would kill me if I hurt you."

Thalia laughed, "Not if you had a good reason." Jason rolled his eyes at this.

"That's not what I meant," he said, his expression a touch urgent. "She specifically said The Mark of Athena?"

Annabeth blinked in surprise, "You know what it is?"

"I'm not sure," Jason frowned, "There's only one legend that I can think of that relates to it, but if I'm right…"

"That bad?"

He shrugged, "It's a tale that's been passed down by the Praetors and their successors secretly. You won't find this in a common Roman or Greek library."

"What's it about?" asked Thalia.

Jason opened his mouth to respond, but whatever he was going to say was interrupted by the flames of the campfire changing colors and flaring up violently. Campers screamed in panic and pulled out weapons as the now-green hellfire started to spin like a tornado, burning hotter and hotter, when suddenly-

It folded into itself and burned out, leaving a shuddering boy in the middle of the fire pit.

It was dead silent. Annabeth pulled her knife from the sheath on her hip and started to approach the boy with caution, when she suddenly recognized the pale boy. She immediately yelled for Nectar and Ambrosia, grabbing the son of Hades from his shoulders and pulling him out of the pit. Once he was safely out, she turned him and started to check him for injuries.

One look at his face, and her heart broke. He was sobbing shamelessly, and she couldn't help but wonder what he had seen that had caused this reaction in him.

Nico looked at her, the expression on his face broken as he said the words that killed her.

"Annabeth… Percy's dead."

Annabeth knew no more as darkness took her, and she dreamed of what could've been.

… **ooOoo…**

 _June 10_ _th_ _, 2010 – Fourteen days until the Feast of Fortuna – Location: Cullen Coven_

As the sun chariot of Apollo climbed in the sky, a Greek statue sitting on the roof of a mansion was illuminated, its skin starting to shine like it was embedded with diamonds as the rays of the sun touched. The statue was beautiful, perfectly sculpted out of what seemed like the purest marble or granite. Movement, however, revealed to the observer that this statue was living.

Even as a vampire, Percy Jackson could not stay still for long, especially when he was brooding.

It was an activity that he would pursue often, especially since he'd recovered his whole memory in the few days after his turning. The venom had destroyed whatever block that had been placed on him, saving his life and completely curing his amnesia. Sure, there were a bunch things that he couldn't remember, since looking at his old memories was like looking at a black-and-white TV through muddy pond water, but he'd take whatever he could get. Memories of his mother for instance, when she would work at the candy shop and bring bulging bags of blue candy. Cause she was awesome like that.

The memories only made their recent reconnection that much more bittersweet.

He'd called her a few days after his turning, and the first thing he'd told her was: "Mom, I'm alive, and I love you so, so much." The scream that came through the phone was one of relief. He'd been brief as much as possible, telling her what he could without putting her in unnecessary danger. She'd been hurt, no doubt, but understanding. It didn't make it any easier to say, though.

"I died, mom," he said, speaking into Bella's phone – she'd understood completely and had gone against Edward's and Carlisle's wishes in Percy not telling his mother. "I went to the freakin' Underworld, Charon was there and everything…"

" _Language, Percy_ ," came the answer, making Percy smile. " _Oh sweetie… how did…?_ "

"How did I live?" Percy sighed. "I'm sorry mom, but I can't tell you," he said, "It's not a god thing, it's just one of those 'if-I-tell-you-they'll-come-after-you' types of secrets. They did something to me, something that didn't just bring me back to life. It _changed_ me."

There were a few seconds of silence, but to Percy they felt like eternity. " _What are you saying, Percy?_ " she asked.

Ah, shit, here it comes. "Mom, I can't go back home," he said, closing his eyes. "I… I gotta stay away."

" _For how long?_ "

"A year at least. When it's safe. Mom, I promise, the moment I can go I'll be knocking at the door-"

" _Did you lose your key?_ "

"What- no, mom, I still have my key-"

" _Then why would you knock?_ " Sally laughed, making Percy roll his eyes. " _Honey, I get it. If you don't feel ready, then don't rush anything. I can wait for as long as you want, don't worry._ "

Percy sighed. "I wish I didn't have to," he confessed. "Honestly mom, I just wish that… well, I kinda wish for a lot of things, but I _really_ wish I was right there. That none of this had happened."

" _Percy…_ " This time it was his mother who sighed. " _I guess naming you after Perseus backfired, huh? Everything seems to happen to you._ "

"The Fates hate me, I guess," he said. "Still, I can't complain, not really. I mean, look what happened to Luke…"

" _Luke Castellan was a brave young man,_ " said his mother. " _He was Hero, a True Hero, not because of what he did, but because he survived everything that life threw at him and still worked towards something he believed in. He fought for an ideal that you fulfilled – a better life for all demigods. And the same goes for you. You've survived everything that the Fates have laid out for you, and you've become that much stronger because of it._ "

"Mom…"

" _What I'm trying to say, Percy, is that I'm proud of you. So take your time honey. And when you're ready, come back home. I'll be waiting. So is Paul. He's looking at me right now, you know, telling me to say hello to you._ "

Percy smiled. "I know, I heard him through the phone," he said. "Tell him I said hi. And mom… you can't tell anyone that I called. _No one_ can know."

" _I know honey. But Percy, what about Annabeth?_ "

A moment of silence. "Honestly mom… I don't know. I just don't know." Percy looked out the window of Edward Cullen's old room in the manor towards the rising sun. "I think… there's a chance I may never see her again. I mean… gods, I don't know what to do…"

His mother sighed. " _Well, you'll figure something out. If it were me – and Percy, I want you to listen very carefully – if it were me, I would find some way of letting her know that you're alive, even if you don't talk to her personally. That girl is suffering, Percy. They're burning your shroud today, you that?"_

Percy frowned. "They think I'm dead?"

" _Nico told them. He said that he felt your spirit cross over to the Underworld. He… he came over here. He told me personally, and then he left for Camp Half-blood. I haven't seen him since."_

Percy took a moment before he spoke again, "Mom, I think… I think that it's better that they don't know I'm alive."

" _I understand your reasoning, Percy, but are you sure?_ "

"No," he confessed. "Not really. But it's not like I have a choice, do I? I mean I still have to go to the Roman Camp."

" _Be careful with them,_ " said Sally, " _Jason is a nice young man – I met him a few days after he found out that you were being sent to Camp Jupiter. He came and told me what he'd found out, and we spoke. He's a good person, kind, strong, a true son of Jupiter, but I don't think the rest of the Romans are the same._ "

"I'll be careful," said Percy, "I promise."

" _I know you will."_ There was some shuffling. " _Honey, I have to go. I love you._ "

"I love you too," said Percy. "Take care. Send my love to Paul… and to Hope."

" _I will,"_ said his mother. " _Oh, I hope you're here in time for Hope. I'm due in August, or at least that's what the doctors say."_

"I'll do my best mom, I promise," he said. "I love you."

" _I love you too, Percy. Take care of yourself._ "

With a click, the line disconnected, and Percy discovered that he couldn't cry.

… **ooOoo…**

Still looking at the sunrise, Percy let his memories fade. That day… it'd been hard calling his mother, but the relief he'd felt was worth it. They'd talked again the next day, and day after that, and the day after that, even though Edward and Carlisle still gave him grief over it. Thankfully, he could count on his vampire-mother Bella and –grandmother Esme to have his back. Eventually, Carlisle had given in, and simply stressed the importance of keeping the secret of his survival… well, secret. After all, after four months Percy was still considered a newborn. He could easily lose control at any moment, and he shuddered to think what would happen if he was near someone he loved or was close to him. On top of that, if the Volturi Royal Coven were to find out about him, or that he'd spilled the beans about his vampirism…

His memories of his mother weren't the only ones that had returned as well. He knew he was a demigod, but that before his turning his belief in the true identity of his father was wrong. He knew he was a son of Poseidon, not a son of Neptune. He knew that he had a Cyclops half-brother named Tyson, and a pet hellhound named Mrs. O'Leary. He remembered his friends – Thalia, Nico, Clarisse, Will. He remembered his girlfriend, Annabeth, and the times they'd shared. It was too bad that before he'd disappeared their relationship hadn't been going well; nowhere near a breakup, but it _was_ getting pretty bad.

Suddenly, an image intruded in his head. It was more like a flash of information, and it carried an intent with it, which his brain interpreted as someone calling his name.

He smiled, getting up from his position and jumping three stories to the ground below. Running off into the forest in a northerly direction, he followed his improved tracking abilities given to him by Lupa – another bonus from his turning. A few minutes later, a small homey cottage appeared, bearing the familiar scents of Bella, Edward, and his new "little sister," Renesmee Cullen.

Renesmee "Nessie" Cullen was an interesting case. She was the biological daughter of Edward and Bella, half-human, half-vampire – she had been conceived when Bella was still human seven years ago. As a hybrid, she had certain defining characteristics that immediately drew the eye; for starters, she had a heartbeat, and blood flowed through her veins. Another cool thing: on top of the fact that her skin was as impenetrable as vampire skin, she had a supernatural ability as well. It was the opposite of her father's telepathy; while he read thoughts, she could transmit them to others at a distance. As for why she was new "little sister," since Bella had been the one to turn him, she was considered his "vampire-mother." Ergo, he was family. By venom.

Vampires. It just had to be vampires.

The fifteen-year-old-looking human-vampire hybrid in question was waiting for him impatiently in the small lawn in front of the cottage.

"Took you long enough," she said, "I was starting to wonder if you could run any slower!"

Percy grinned, stopping in front of her, "Hey, Nessie. Ready for a swim?"

She grinned in response, jumping up and flipping over and onto his back, slinging her strong arms around his neck. "Do you really need to ask?"

Percy chuckled, and took off at his full speed. He was the fastest runner of his coven, and the strongest, even though Emmett constantly whined that it was because he still had his newborn strength. Nessie shrieked in delight at the speed he was running – being part-vampire herself, she enjoyed high speeds as well, and saying that Percy was _very_ fast was an understatement, in her opinion. That being said, getting carried by him was one of her new favorite pastimes since she couldn't even get _close_ to his speed.

A few minutes later, they jumped over the river, crossing the La Push-Cullen treaty line. Special circumstances allowed Renesmee to cross over to the wolves territory whenever they she wanted, and though the treaty said otherwise, she would usually bring vampiric company – namely her mother, or, most recently, Percy. Perks that came with having one of the shape-shifters imprint on her.

Percy quickly pushed _those_ thoughts out of his head.

Another five minutes later, they could hear the roar of the sea smashing against the popular cliffs at the Quileute reservation and he slowed down to a walk, allowing Renesmee to climb down from his back.

"Wasn't the mutt supposed to meet us here?" Percy asked. Renesmee giggled.

"He'll be here," she assured him, "He's just making sure that Paul won't do anything with his sister."

Percy smiled knowingly. "I can relate to that," he said.

Nessie glared at him. "I _do_ love him, you know."

"Coming from a seven year old, that's just plain weird. Then again…" Percy shrugged, "I'm an expert at weird."

"Hey! Do I look seven years old to you?"

"No, but just because you look fifteen doesn't mean that you'll go around doing PDA with him."

"Mom approves!"

"But your Dad doesn't," he countered, "and neither do I."

"You're just being protective of me because he threatened your stupid Maserati."

Percy paused, "Not really. I mean, you know the whole fifteen-years-old-but-really-seven gives me a migraine, and I don't really mind it. Even if we're not related, you're like my little sister, so I can't help but be protective of you, especially when it comes to… imprints."

Nessie smiled happily, hugging him, ignoring the latter part of what he'd said. As he returned the hug, Nessie's voice echoed in his head. _You know what mom would say if she heard you say we're not related_ , Nessie projected her thoughts to him. _You're family, period._

Percy gave her a small smile, "I know."

They kept walking until they reached the edge of the cliffs and he looked down at the raging sea below him, feeling the power behind each wave as it smashed against the rock. He was tempted to jump in, but Nessie's hold on his hand was enough to deter him.

The two sat down on the edge, doing a little small talk. Yes, he would train her tomorrow in swordplay. No, he didn't know where to get a celestial bronze sword. No, he wasn't going to tell her what her birthday gift was, especially since it was months away. After a while he paused, tilting his head to the side, listening.

"Is that Jacob I hear?" he asked. "Or another of the wolves?"

Nessie smiled brightly. "It's Jake," she confirmed.

A few seconds later, a huge russet-colored wolf burst out of the woods behind them. Percy looked away politely as he heard the air shift and Jacob phased into his human form as naked as the day he was born. Thankfully, Percy had turned away in time – he hadn't lucky the first time, and nobody had deemed it necessary to warn him.

"Jake!" Nessie quickly got up from where she was sitting and rushed at him. Percy heard his enthusiastic greeting, and after a few seconds, deemed it safe enough to turn around.

"Jacob," he greeted. The twenty-five-year-old shape-shifter grinned at him, bumping his fist against his own. Thankfully, he'd put on a pair of shorts as well.

"Percy," he returned the greeting, "I thought Bells was going to show up today."

Percy shrugged, "Edward planned a surprise date today, and she asked me to babysit instead. You guys go on ahead," he gestured to the open sea, "There's something I want to check out."

"Go for it," said Jacob, already turning away with Nessie, but Percy had already thrown himself off the cliff and into the sea.

There was only one thing that Percy loved more than running, and it was the open sea. True, most of the underwater life fled the moment his skin touched the water, but he was always caught up by the huge amounts of raw power that the sea gave him that he didn't notice it most of the time. Today, however, he wanted to try out something new.

Pushing the currents in the direction he wanted, he shot forward, swimming deeper and deeper into the sea, until there was almost no light – this didn't bother Percy at all, as he could see perfectly for miles in every direction. After a few minutes, his feet touched the sandy bottom, and he sat down, crossing his legs.

He relaxed, focused his mind, took a deep breath, and let himself, his consciousness, drift out into the open sea.

 _Is this how my dad feels?_

He could hear and taste and even smell _everything_ in the water. He could feel the great ocean currents, their unstoppable power influencing every living creature. He could feel the different variations of plant life as they shifted and waved in the water, feel how they absorbed the little sunlight they could get. He could hear and taste fish and other underwater creatures swim through the water, their powerful muscles flexing and pushing them forward through the currents.

It was beautiful, and the sheer realization of that made his mind snap back to his body.

He shook his head, realizing that he'd accidentally drifted a few miles deeper into the water. After making sure that he was sufficiently grounded enough, he started casting his mind out in every direction again, searching for sea life – the _mythical_ kind this time. It took him a few minutes, but eventually he found it in the form of a group of hippocampi, strange underwater creatures with the bodies of horses and dolphin tails – no legs of course.

 _Son of the Sea god!_ They cried when they felt the touch of his mind, making Percy smiled. _Son of the sea god, you have been missing for so long!_

 _I know,_ he told them, _and it must stay that way for some time. I was hoping that you could deliver a message to my father?_

 _Of course!_ The cheerful hippocampus' voice sounded vaguely familiar, and Percy frowned.

 _Rainbow?_ He asked tentatively.

 _It is I, milord,_ confirmed the hippocampus. Rainbow was friend of Tyson's, his half-brother, the two travelling to and from Atlantis, where his father had his _true_ seat of power and from where he ruled the seas.

 _It's good to hear you._

 _I feel the same, milord. You asked me to deliver a message?_

 _Yeah,_ thought Percy, _I need you to talk to my dad. Tell him that I'm sorry for not communicating earlier, but that this is the first chance I've had since… since my turning. Tell him that I need to talk to him, face to face. I can't dream anymore, and I don't have any drachmas for Iris-Messaging._

 _Of course, my lord,_ said Rainbow, _If I may…?_

 _Yeah?_

 _Is there anything you would like to communicate to your friends and companions?_ The hippocampus, hundreds of miles away, twitched its tail in agitation. _Do we tell them the reason of your self-exile? Since they believe that you are dead…_

Percy blinked, surprised, but then he realized that they would be able to smell him just as well as he could smell them from afar; they knew what he was. _No,_ he projected to them, _they can't know what I am or where I am. Poseidon probably knows exactly why, and if he doesn't tell him, but the others_ cannot _know. Don't give them hints of any kind, I beg you, not even that I'm alive._

 _Very well, my lord,_ answered Rainbow. _Would that be all?_

 _No, I think that's all._ Then Percy was struck by an idea, _Actually, there_ is _something… how fast can you get here?_

There was a pause, before Percy felt images bombarding his mind of high-speed underwater travel, thousands of miles disappearing in seconds. He got the idea.

Percy grinned. _Do you think you could stick around for a while? There's someone I would like you to meet – and don't worry, she won't bite._

 _Of course, my lord. We know that you or your friends would not hurt us._

 _Thank you, Rainbow._

 _You're welcome._

With that, Percy stood and jumped, pushing himself off the sea ground at an extreme speed. Shooting out of the water near the cliffs like a missile, he landed in the exact same spot on the cliff he had jumped off of. The difference was that there were no shape-shifters or human-vampire hybrids in sight.

 _Ah, hell, Edward's going to kill me!_

… **ooOoo…**

 _Approaching midday, fifteen minutes later…_

In the end, there was no reason to panic. The two had gotten bored and had left to the lower beach, far enough from the reservation to avoid prying eyes – it was slightly sunny, so Nessie's skin was glowing with the traditional characteristic of vampire skin, though not as brightly as her parents' skin, or as Percy's. The rest of Jacob's pack had joined them, so at first Percy had been wary, but all it took was for Seth Clearwater to break the ice and everything was normal. After the few 'bloodsucker' and 'fish-breaths' jokes had passed, he actually found that he was actually enjoying himself.

The pack consisted of five members: Jacob (who was the leader of the pack), Leah Clearwater (Jacob's second-in-command), Seth Clearwater (Leah's younger brother), Quil Ateara (Jacob's cousin or half-brother, nobody really wanted to know), and Embry Call (just a member, yet a good friend to everyone).

Of the five members, Percy was friendliest with the Clearwater siblings. Seth was an easy going guy, very much like Percy in that sense, while Leah was Seth's opposite in the social sense. He could tell that Leah was very protective of her younger brother, even though the both of them were over twenty years old. Still, the sibling bond between the two made them inseparable, and Percy was reminded of the relationship with his own cousins slash best friends, Thalia Grace and Nico di Angelo.

After a few minutes of talking, the conversation turned interesting, to say the least.

"So is it true?" asked Embry.

"What is?"

"About you being the son of some Greek god. It's bullshit, right?"

"You're asking me that after four months of having known me?"

Embry shrugged. "Well, is it?" he pressed.

Percy laughed humorlessly. "Believe me," he said, "you have no idea how many times I've wished for it to be, as you say, _bullshit_."

Embry raised an eyebrow, "Prove it." By now, the others were interested as well.

Percy shrugged, "You've seen my powers before," he said.

"But we've also seen other vampires have powers as well," Quil pointed out, "You have Nessie as an example. Or like that Benjamin guy from the Egyptian coven. How do we know that you're not different from them?"

"You don't. But who's to say that they're not demigods as well, and that that's why they have powers?"

"Wouldn't they know?" asked Seth.

"Not really," said Percy, "A few years ago, I knew a lot of people who didn't know who their godly parent was. They were just demigods, and nothing else. It wasn't until I made a special request to the council that the gods actually started claiming their kids and making sure that they got to camp safely so that they could be trained."

"What council? And what makes you so special?" asked Leah.

"The Olympian Council," he answered with a smirk, "New York, New York, Empire State Building, 600th floor."

They laughed. "Dude," said Jacob between guffaws, "There is no 600th floor in the Empire State, even I know that."

Percy grinned knowingly, "I had the same reaction, Jake." He shared a knowing look with Renesmee – of all the vampires, only her, Edward, Bella and Alice believed him. Nessie smirked.

"Shall we?"

Percy grinned, "We shall."

Ignoring the looks of curiosity, Nessie jumped onto his back (Jacob looked slightly jealous at this), and once he felt that she was secure, he started to walk into the sea, the waves parting before them. Hearing the cries of alarm from the pack, he and Nessie shared a smirk as he stopped a wave right in front of them, making it bigger and bigger.

Then he sent it crashing onto the pack – by then it was at least eleven feet high. Making their escape, he plunged into the sea and created an air bubble around the two of them so that she could breathe and talk with each other. Manipulating the currents, he started to swim deeper and deeper into the pacific while Nessie looked around in wonder – Percy smiled at her expression.

After calling out with his mind, he felt the hippocampus approach. Nessie noticed Rainbow's arrival and her mouth dropped.

"Nessie, this is Rainbow," Percy said, "He's a hippocampus, and a friend of mine."

"He's beautiful…" she said. Rainbow poked his head through the bubble, and Nessie reached out tentatively to pet him.

"Go ahead," Percy reassured her. Nessie was quick to obey, and soon enough she was giggling when Rainbow licked her face.

Then everything went to Hades.

Percy felt, rather than saw the huge shadow that was emerging from the bottom of the ocean.

 _Get her to the surface!_ He cried, grabbing Nessie and shoving her onto the hippocampus. He manipulated the air bubble so that it would cover her mouth and nose only as Nessie grabbed his arm in panic. _What's going on?_ She thought at him.

" _No time! Get to the surface and stay there! Rainbow, get her out of here!"_

 _Yes, my lord!_ The hippocampus shot upwards while Percy shot in the opposite direction towards the creature, his eyes piercing through the ocean darkness and seeing the monster.

It resembled an enormous lobster, with grey skin and multiple eyes that glared at him angrily. It had multiple legs on each side, and right next to its head two enormous pincers, each three times bigger than him, snapped at him. The creature itself was as long as an eighteen-wheeler truck, and three times as wide.

 _A leviathan? What in the name of Tartarus is that thing doing here?_ Leviathans were more common in the Atlantic, with nesting grounds in the Sea of Monsters – namely, the Bermuda Triangle, but far away from his father's palace. To see one here in the Pacific was bad news.

Percy was broken from his thoughts as the Leviathan spoke, _I come bearing a message from my patron._

The word patron sparked his memory, and he recalled the conversation he had had with the gorgons before they almost killed him. _The goddess Gaea, of course! Even now, her armies are growing in numbers, and will soon start the march south. At the Feast of Fortune, she'll awaken, and the demigods will be cut down…_

" _What is this message?"_ asked Percy as he pulled his pen from his pocket, and Riptide grew in his hand. The leviathan seemed to sneer.

 _It is a message,_ it said, _of Death._

With that, it charged.

Meanwhile, Nessie had just emerged from the now-turbulent sea, her air bubble popping as soon as she was out of the water. Rainbow nickered below her as he swam closer to the edge. Jacob was waiting for her anxiously with his pack behind him, and they openly stared at the mystical creature she was riding.

"Nessie!" Jacob cried in relief, ignoring the hippocampus, "Are you alright? Where's Percy?"

"I don't know," she answered, "He saw something down there and he sent me up here with Rainbow. Jake, he was afraid, I could see it in his face…"

Jacob walked into the low water, pulling her off the hippocampus and hugging her close to him. "It's ok," he said, even though he wasn't sure himself, "He'll be alright."

Just then, Rainbow nickered a warning. Nessie looked at him, said "Thank you," and the hippocampus nudged her hand fondly, before turning around and quickly disappearing into the sea.

Just then, Percy himself emerged farther out in the water with his sword in hand. He turned towards them, the vampire's expression turning to one of horror as he saw that they were still in the water. "Jake, get yourself and Nessie out of the water NOW!"

Too late.

The ocean behind Percy exploded, and the huge crustacean's body was revealed to all as it seemed to stand on the water, pincers snapping in the air and legs working in all directions. Jacob immediately turned around and ran towards the shore, his pack helping him and looking at the monster in fright.

"What the _fuck_ is that thing!?" yelled Leah.

"The hell do I know!" answered her brother, "But I don't want it getting any closer to me – holy shit!"

Percy had reacted quickly when the leviathan emerged from the water behind him. He roared, and the sea roared with him as a fist made entirely of water smashed into the monster's underbelly, pushing it farther into the ocean. The leviathan screeched in pained surprise as it toppled onto its back in the water. Percy wasted no time in skimming on top of the water like a jet ski and slashing off one of its legs. He tried to make another quick dash towards it, but by then the creature had recovered and was ready for him.

Charging at him, it surprised Percy with its speed – it was almost on par with a hippocampus. One of the pincers smashed into him as it charged, sending Percy skipping on the water. He recovered quickly, though, and when the monster charged at him again, he managed to dive out of the way and slice off the tip of its pincer. It started to click angrily as it scuttled sideways on top of the water.

Just then, Percy remembered the giant crab he had fought on the Princess Andromeda during the second Titan war. The crab had been smaller than the leviathan, but he remembered that it had had a chink right in its underbelly. It was a long shot, but what he to lose?

 _I need to get under it,_ he thought. He rushed forward, skimming across the water and surprising the creature. In response, once he was in range the leviathan snapped at him with its pincers, but he slid threw himself forward, diving under it.

"For Poseidon!" he shouted, and he shoved Riptide in the monsters belly – it was tough armor, but no match against his vampiric strength, the Celestial Bronze cutting through it like it was paper. The resulting screech of pain was very satisfying, but unfortunately it seemed that it wasn't done with Percy. It tried to crush him, but Percy merely let himself sink under the waves and away from the leviathan after pulling Riptide out. That's when he noticed the water heal the monster.

 _So you're one of those creatures, huh?_ He thought, _Alright then, time to get you out of the water._

Once again manipulating the currents, the vampire demigod shot forward, crashing against the monsters underbelly and sending the two of them crashing onto the sandy shore, the leviathan on its back. The wolves immediately got to work, phasing and starting to tear at it with razor-sharp teeth and claws and jumping back when it would try to claw at them. They didn't do much damage, but they were successfully keeping it occupied and on its back, unable to right itself, its massive tail smashing up and down fruitlessly.

Percy dashed towards them with his sword in hand, standing in front of the monsters mouth. The smell coming from the thing was repugnant, like putrefied lobster that had been in the sun for days.

The Leviathan started to still as if it recognized that it was going to die soon. _You think that this is over?_ it clicked to Percy, _My mistress shall never stop pursuing you! Your death will come to pass! You shall not live to see the return of the True Fall of Olympus!_

Percy rolled his eyes, filing the information away, "Yeah, yeah, like I haven't had gods and immortals try to kill me before, tell me something I don't know."

And with that, he swung Riptide in an arc and cut through the monster's head, splitting the leviathan's face in half. It didn't even twitch, the death was so fast.

He heard the air shift around him once more as the wolves phased into their human forms.

"What the hell is this thing?" asked Quil, holding his hand over his nose.

"A leviathan. A sea monster from the deepest pits in the ocean," answered Percy. He wasn't tired, thank his vampire endurance, but he just wanted to go home at this point. He looked at Jacob, "Where's Nessie?"

"Over here," came the voice of his sister from behind him. "I couldn't get close to it, and Jake told me to stay safe…"

He ignored the shame in her voice at not being able to help as he looked at her. "It's alright, Ness," he said, smiling reassuringly. He glanced at the monster. "Gods, if I was still human, this thing would've killed me," he said, inspecting the six-inch-thick armor covering the Leviathan.

"From the smell?" said Jacob, wrinkling his nose. "Jeez, this thing stinks worse than you, Perce."

Percy sniffed. "Trust me, you have no idea what you're talking about," he said. "I've smelt a lot worse things as a human that were a lot worse than you _or_ this thing." He wrinkled his nose at the memory of Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea.

"So this whole Greek gods bullshit _is_ true, then," said Embry, looking at him in awe.

Percy smiled, "Don't let them hear you say that."

"I'm afraid it's a little too late for that."

Percy whirled around in surprise at the same time a powerful scent of sea struck his nose. A man was standing at the edge of the water, dressed in Khaki Bermuda shorts, a Hawaiian Style shirt and leather sandals. He had black hair with green eyes that glowed with power, but the skin around his eyes and cheeks was crinkled as if he smiled a lot, like he was at that moment. He held a five-foot long trident in his hand, the butt of the enormous weapon stuck in the sand.

"Dad!" Percy exclaimed in surprise. He grinned, and surprised Poseidon with his speed as he grabbed his father in a hug, which was eagerly returned.

Poseidon chuckled, "It's good to see you, son." When they separated, Poseidon grinned at his son, "You've grown since the last time I saw you… and I'll say it, Apollo's looks have got nothing on you."

"Dad!" This time, it was said with exasperation.

"What? It's only the truth."

"I doubt he would agree, god of truth or not."

Poseidon laughed, "Indeed."

Percy cocked his head to the side, "Why are you here? I thought Zeus had closed down Olympus last November and recalled all the gods."

"Oh, he did. Some of us just never listened. I have a kingdom to take care of, and besides, you're in my domain, and you're my son. I came here as soon as your friend delivered your message." Poseidon scoffed. "I'm not going to stop talking to you just because my paranoid idiot of a brother thinks he's so high and mighty-"

"Dad…" Percy warned him as thunder rumbled in the sky.

Poseidon sighed, "I'm sorry, Percy. Things have been hectic down in Atlantis, and this whole Giant business… well, it's getting out of hand."

Percy frowned, "I've been out of contact for some time now. I can't get any Iris-messages out – no Drachmas – and this is the first monster I've killed since I've been here. What's going on?"

Poseidon glanced at the wolf pack, who were staring at the two of them with slack jaws. Nessie for her part was grinning, and his father smiled at her before looking back at him, his face serious.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you everything," he said, "the Ancient Laws forbid me. I _can_ , however, give you some advice, a warning, and a gift." Percy nodded; he knew it was useless to ask for more than that. Poseidon continued, "First, the advice. Speak to your family. Ask Carlisle of the ancient vampire wars, for they will be your first clue to something larger than the Gigantes. Your seer friend may have some insight as well. After that, you must seek Lupa out once more, but not alone.

"Secondly, the warning. As you know, Gaea has managed to bring back creatures and monsters so ancient they had faded from mortal memory."

"Stheno and Euryale," Percy remembered, "The gorgon sisters of Medusa. Met them a few months ago. Nice ladies."

Poseidon nodded in agreement, ignoring his sarcasm. "Yes, and they're not the only ones. The leviathan you just slayed is one of the older creatures, slain thousands of years ago by Theseus. As you said, you're lucky that you have your new gift, or else I doubt you would have survived. Keep your eyes open for anything unexpected. Gaia is searching for something, but I cannot say more.

"And now, for the gift," he said, "You are mostly invulnerable to all attacks, but fire, godly metals, and other powers can still kill you." Poseidon grabbed his trident and pointed it towards the Leviathan carcass, firing a blast of blue energy at it. The wolves plus Nessie jumped back in surprise, but they needn't have worried. The carcass started to glow, shrinking and changing colors until all there was in the sand was a huge hole where it had fallen. In the middle of the crater, a golden gauntlet rested in the sand. It was shaped just like the leviathan, and it was at least a fourteen inches long from tail to the tip of its pincers.

Poseidon nodded at it, and Percy walked over and picked it up, and upon his touch it seemed to come alive. He held still as it climbed up his arm, around his back, and back down the other arm, settling itself and wrapping its legs around his left forearm. On any other person, the sharp legs would have cut into the wearer's arm, but his vampire skin was more than enough to protect him. The pincers pointed straight ahead, and Percy realized that he could also punch with the pincers and deal massive damage.

Percy walked back to his father, kneeling before him, "Thank you, father."

Poseidon smiled kindly, motioning for him to stand, "Please, Zeus isn't here to chastise you for kneeling. It's no Aegis, but hopefully it'll protect you just as well. _Corálli_ is its name."

"Coral," Percy translated, and the gauntlet responded. The pincers moved down, reaching around Percy's hand and forming a grip while the body started to expand, forming a golden roman-style rectangular shield. It was huge, about five feet long, two feet wide and as thick as his open hand – it could easily cover his whole body if he stood behind it. For a human it would be impossible to move with it at all, but with his strength Percy had no trouble. Flipping it towards the front, he admired the logo on the golden surface: A trident with two leviathan pincers instead of side prongs, the middle prong being a sword blade. There were words engraved on the edges of the shield, over and over again: _Sime Corálli, Aegis das Thallassa._

" _I am Coral, shield of the Seas,"_ Percy read. He looked from the shield to thank his father, but no words came to mind. His father smiled in response – they both did have a way with words, after all.

"Good luck, son," Poseidon told him, stepping closer to the sea, "And remember, the sea does not like to be restrained, but it will yield when it has to." With that, he dissipated into mist.

Percy looked at the spot where his father had disappeared, "Good bye, dad." Looking at Corálli, he let go of the grip, and the shield shrank back into a gauntlet. Turning to the wolves and Renesmee, his expression turned somber.

"Let's go," he said, "We've got work to do."

… **ooOoo…**

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	6. Book 2: Of Goddesses and Champions

**Edit uploaded on: 05/08/2016 12:11 pm. With a cleaned-up version an hour later.**

 **I'm back, and I'm graduated!**

… **ooOoo…**

Heroes of Olympus Book 2: Rites of Blood

Chapter 5 – Of Goddesses and Champions

 _June 10_ _th_ _, 2010 – Fourteen days to the Feast of Fortuna – Location: Olympic Peninsula (Quileute Territory)_

As he ran to Cullen Manor with the wolf pack following him and Nessie riding Jacob, Percy ended up doing something he rarely did before his turning: he be fair though, he wasn't the best person to do this; he was more of a do-first-think-later guy, which was why at the moment he was thanking whichever Greek or Roman god that thought of giving vampires enhanced brains.

 _Let's look at all the options,_ he thought. _First, the Roman Camp Half-Blood is in danger. Problem._

According to his murky human memories, the gorgons had said that Gaea would march on said camp on the "Feast of Fortuna", so the first thing he had to do was figure out when in the name of Hades was that meant to happen. Carlisle, hopefully, would be the one to know, considering that he was the oldest person he knew in the vicinity.

 _So, first figure out what the Feast of Fortuna is so that I can help out the Romans,_ Percy concluded. _Now, how exactly do I help the Romans? They might not even_ want _my help to start off…_

After all, he was a vampire, which basically meant that he had to figure out either one of two things: how to not get killed by angry roman demigods waving pointy things at him, or how to make sure that said angry roman demigods never figured out that he was a vampire.

 _Ask Carlisle for help, again,_ thought Percy. _Bella might help too, considering she didn't suck me dry four months ago…_

 _Damn, I feel like I'm missing something… I've thought about Romans, how to hide from them… oh right, I won't be helping anyone if I can't figure out how to get to the Camp to start with. I guess a second trip to Lupa is in the agenda… provided we survive…_

Speaking of camps… Camp Half-Blood. If there was one thing that the encounter with Poseidon had reminded him of, this was one of the clinchers. Long Island was safe, hopefully, considering its proximity to Mount Olympus in New York, but at the same time the fact that Zeus had closed off the city from demigods he doubted they'd get help in case of an attack. Moreover, if he was going to head down to… wherever he needed to go, then they wouldn't be able to count on him. Which sucked.

 _Damn, I really hope they're okay,_ he thought. _Do they think I'm dead? Hell, do I even want to go back…?_ Unbidden, his last four months' worth of memories came to mind. _The Cullens… they're family._

The life he was having with his coven was… well, words wouldn't do it justice. That being said, it only made him question even more the fact as to why his fatherwas showing up now of all times. He had gottenabout four months of relative peace, spending time with the Cullens as he mastered his newborn strength and thirst. He had spent the time talking to everyone, describing his life as a demigod (everyone was curious about _that_ , even though most were still skeptical), and if he wasn't talking, he was in the library, studying Carlisle's massive tomes. Now that he didn't have dyslexia anymore, he found that he actually enjoyed the activity, and his vampire-enhanced brain soaked up the knowledge like a sponge.

The time at the Cullens had also given him an unexpected gift – the ability to come to terms with the fact that he was now immortal. Ironic, really, considering that it had been the one thing that he had been keen to avoid for his friends and family, having turned the gift down when Zeus offered the gift of godhood to him all those months ago.

 _Has it really been more than half a year?_ Percy's body kept running on autopilot as memories of battles and missions and quests replayed through his mind. _So little time has passed, and we're already at war again. Dad said something about some"Giant business." I_ really _hope he isn't talking about the Gigantes._

… _oh who am I kidding, he probably was. Damn it._

Percy sighed as he and the pack crossed the treaty line at a dead sprint. Why the Fates hated him, was an answer he was going to wring out of them the next time he saw them (he'd seen them twice already, chances were he'd see them a third time – the mythological world _loved_ the number three).

 _Percy_. He glanced over at Nessie, who was looking at him worriedly as she projected her thoughts to him, and most likely to the rest of the pack. _What's going on?_

Percy winced."I… I'm not sure Nessie. Hopefully Alice and Carlisle will know something."

 _Was that actually Poseidon on the beach?_

"Yeah," he said. "Whatever's going on is big enough for Poseidon to show up himself to call me up. Like a call to arms or something."

 _A call to arms?_

"Yeah… he mentioned Giants." Percy glanced at her. "And Giants mean war. The last time around the gods fought against the Giants they almost lost. It wasn't until they figured out that it took a demigod and a god working together to fight the Giants that things were turned around. Last time it was Heracles the one who helped out; I guess this time I'm helping out."

A pause, and then came the question he dreaded to answer. _Will you leave?_

"…yeah."

No more words were exchanged as they made it to the house. Percy had called ahead (yes, he now had a cellphone), so he wasn't surprised when Bella's Ferrari was parked in the front. Bella herself was probably inside, but Edward was waiting for them. His face became unreadable as he sorted through Renesmee's, the packs, andhis own thoughts. Percy slowed to a walk, Renesmee climbing down from Jacob and running to her father who hugged her to his chest. The pack turned into the woods, but Percy heard the distinct sound of a wolf phasing.

"Percy…"

Percy interrupted him, "Edward, you saw that everyone's alright. Let's get inside, I need to talk to Alice and Carlisle. Not in that order. Preferably Alice."

Edward scowled as Jacob emerged from the woods wearing a pair of shorts only, "No more babysitting jobs for you." Edward turned around and vanished into the house, Nessie under the crook of his arm.

 _Chances are there won't be any for me, considering that I might die in this war._

Percy followed him and walked inside the house, though Jacob stayed outside. As per his call, the family was waiting for him in the living room, casting confused glances to him, Edward, and Alice, who was (strangely) rubbing her forehead with both her hands.

"Percy," said Carlisle, standing, "What happened? And what's with the gauntlet?"

Percy sighed, "We were ambushed."

Bella snarled, "Vampires?"

He shook his head, "Leviathan."

Bella blinked in confusion, and she wasn't the only one. Carlisle frowned, "Aren't those the mythological guardians of the city of Atlantis?"

"They were, back before my father was King of the Seas and Oceanus ruled. Now they're just rogue, pissed off monsters with an attitude." His family was still confused, so he sighed, "Let me explain…"

A few minutes later, he finished talking about the encounter with the Leviathan and the subsequent talk with his father. "Carlisle," he said, "Poseidon mentioned something about the Ancient Wars. Do you know anything about that?"

Carlisle frowned. "Your father," he said,"was probably referring to the events that brought the Volturi into power. This was far before my time, so my knowledge is lacking in some parts. Eleazar from the Denali coven probably knows more, seeing as he was with them longer than I was."

"What do you know?" asked Percy.

"As you know, there were rulers before the Volturi. Before the Volturi, the Romanian vampire coven had been in power for at least amillennium. They were composed by ten members, of whom only two are still alive today."

"Vladimir and Stefan," Bella murmured. Percy looked at her in confusion while Carlisle nodded in agreement.

"On top of the ten members, they had a guard that was similar to the one the Volturi, but this one focused only on brute strength – in those days, supernatural powers weren't as strong as they are today. As such, it was filled with vampires like Emmett, and Felix from the Volturi."

Carlisle frowned, "I'm not exactly sure what happened, but I do know that Aro, Marcus, and Caius, along with their wives, Sulpicia, Athenedora, and Didyme, reunited in Greece and started to gather followers with talents. Eventually, when they had gathered enough power they attacked the Romanians, eventually defeating them after nearly a century of war. When they took over, they abolished the Romanian laws, and declared that vampires were now to remain unnoticed by humans. After that, they went after the Egyptians, who had been in competition with the Romanians for power just as long. Again, only two members survived, Amun and Kebi. They've remained unchallenged ever since."

Carlisle leaned into his seat, his tale finished. Percy frowned, "Why would my father ask about the Ancient Volturi wars?"

"I don't know Percy. Maybe it's the fact that they originated in Greece…?"

Percy shook his head, "I'm not exactly a historian, but I do know that there would be records of some kind if they were related to the gods, _especially_ since the Volturi are just as old. Maybe not at Camp Half-Blood, but there would be something lying around somewhere."

Edward spoke up then, "Unless the records were destroyed. After all, history is written by the victors."

Percy scowled. "Damn it," he said. "This doesn't make any sense… what would the Volturi have to do with today's attack?"

Carlisle frowned. "Perhaps they sent the Leviathan?"

"Not possible," said Percy. "The Leviathan said _patron,_ not _patrons._ That thing was sent by the Earth Mother, not the Volturi. Still, dad wouldn't have mentioned them if they weren't involved in this somehow."

Silence enveloped the living room as the vampires remained thoughtful. It was broken by a gasp from Alice, whose body suddenly doubled over as if she had been punched.

Then, she slumped forward, and Edward let out a scream of pain.

Thoughts flew through Percy's head as everyone helpedEdward or Alice, Jasper catching the latter and Bella the former. _Vampires don't feint, especially vampires with abilities to see the future- wait, is that green smoke…?_

 _Oh, shit._

"Jasper, get away from her!" Percy screamed his warning just in time as a scent of reptile hit his nose. Jasper was forced to let go of Alice when his hands began to sizzle, a look of panic on his face – if Edward was anything to lead by, Percy didn't want to know what he was feeling from Alice with his empathy. Thankfully, the rest of the vampires got away from Alice and Edward recovered quickly, his face betraying his terror as Alice stood, looking at the floor, her hair hiding her face. Nessie was quick to hide behind Percy.

When she looked up, her eyes completely covered in a familiar green glow as she started to float an inch above the ground.

Everyone was paralyzed in fear, and were slowly backing away as Percy stepped forward, motioning for everyone to stay silent, though his insides were screaming for him to run and hide and say something along the lines of _no thanks, wrong door, just looking for the bathroom_. Alice opened her mouth, and the green vapor Percy had spotted earlier emerged, shaped in the form of various snakes.

 _I am the oracle of Delphi, speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, Slayer of the mighty Python._ The ethereal voice was heard not in the air, but in the minds of everyone present, even as Alice mouthed the words.

Then, the worst possible thing that could happen happened. Oracle Alice looked away from Percy, switching her gaze to the human-vampire hybrid hiding behind him. The Oracle's voice seemed to echo, _Approach, Seeker, and ask._

Nessie looked at the Oracle in fear. Her parents started to move, but Percy held out a hand to stop them. "No! Don't interrupt!" He glanced at Nessie. " _She_ has to receive the prophecy."

Nessie's telepathic voice entered his mind. _Percy, what do I do?_ It was underlined with panic, and Percy's heart went out to her as he kneeled next to her and whispered in her ear what she had to do, squeezing her hand for reassurance.

Renesmee Carlie Cullen nodded, and stepped forward, approaching Alice as her expression turned from one of fear into one of resoluteness. "What is my destiny?"

The ethereal snakes surrounded her and Alice, pooling together and forming into four distinct figures of Nico, Thalia, Rachel, and Annabeth. Nico-look-alike looked at her, and opened his mouth, speaking in the raspy voice of the Oracle: _You shall join two to defeat the Bane beyond the gods._

Annabeth was next, speaking in the same voice: _Cold Immortal and Warm Mortal united prevail against all odds._

Then Rachel: _Four to return with the Legion's crown, stolen away with Fire and Death._

And finally, Thalia, ghostly eyes looking straight into Percy's soul: _The Avatar of Neptune to walk again, Rome to defend till the final breath._

With that, the figures began to dissolve. The ethereal smoke started to retreat, coiling into huge green serpent before slithering back into Alice's mouth. As the tail of the mist snake disappeared back into her mouth, Alice's eyes reverted back to their natural gold before they rolled back into her head and she fell to the ground. She never made it, as Percy quickly caught her in his arms.

"Alice!" cried Jasper, rushing over. "Is she…?"

"She'll be fine," said Percy, handing her over to himwithout complaint – he was sure that the Oracle was out of her body as it was.

"What… what the hell was that?" asked Edward, his expression still haunted by whatever he'd seen in her mind.

Percy winced, looking at Nessie's father with a sad expression. "Like I said; _that_ … was a prophecy." He looked at Nessie. " _Her_ Prophecy."

A groan from Alice stopped Edward's answer, and he decided to move over to her side. Percy immediately turned to Nessie, hugging her in comfort as Bella approached.

"You alright?" he askedNessie.

 _I… I'm not sure,_ she projected to him. She glanced up at her mother, moving over from Percy to her.

Bella gave Percy a pleading look. "Percy," she asked, "What did all that mean?"

Percy frowned, pondering the meaning of the prophecy even as he memorized the words, comparing it to the last prophecy he'd heard. "We'll figure that out as we go," he said. "Prophecies won't really make complete sense until everything in them has come to pass." He sighed. "Unfortunately, regardless of our understanding of the damn thing, there's no choice – Renesmee _is_ involved in this, regardless of her choice."

Just then, Jasper started to speak, "Alice? Alice, honey, can you-?"

"Jazz, shut up, you're giving me a headache…"

Percy smiled in relief, an action that was mimicked by the others. Carlisle stepped forward.

"Let's take her to the study, give her a check-up."

Just then, Alice opened her eyes and glared at him, "The only thing that's wrong with me right now is the fact that my mouth tastes like snake – ten thousand-year-old snake to be exact."

"Actually, the spirit of the oracle of Delphi is no older than the gods, so… less than five thousand-year-old snake," said Percy.

Alice from her perch in Jasper's arms glared at him, "Not helping. Now explain what the hell was that… that thing." Alice shuddered slightly, no doubt an aftereffect of the temporal possession she had just undergone.

Percy sighed, and turned to Edward, "When Alice was possessed, what did you read from her head?"

Edward frowned, "I… I don't know. I tried to read her mind as soon as she froze up because I thought she was having a vision… but as soon as I touched her mind, it was like someone was driving a blunt red-hot poker into my skull. It was… I don't know what it was. Like a hundred, or a thousand voices speaking at the same time without saying a thing."

Percy nodded once. "The oracle is a powerful spirit. Back in the old days, there were more oracles, but Delphi's oracle was considered the most powerful because her temple was located in an area sacred to more than one god – Gaea, Thetis, Poseidon, Demeter, to name a few. Apollo was the last one to take on the guardianship of the Oracle, and he's remained the spirit's patron ever since.

"The purpose of the Oracle of Delphi was simple: mortals from all around the world would consult her for her wisdom about important matters, ranging from stuff like public policy to personal affairs, and the gods would answer by giving advice in the forms of prophecies and riddles, like the one you just heard. Nowadays, we demigods consult her when we want or need to go on a quest." At this, Percy sighed, "So much for peace and relaxation."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on a sec," said Emmett, "You're saying that Alice was just hijacked by some freaky ancient spirit to give us free crappy poetry?"

"Nothing is free in this world, Emmett," Percy said seriously, "Especially knowledge above all things. A prophecy is a set of guidelines, like an instruction manual, that's supposed to give a vague idea of how to do something or how to get somewhere. Something that valuable is as sure as Hades not free."

He looked out the living room window with a frown. "What's worrying me isn't the prophecy itself; it's the fact that the oracle actually possessed Alice in the first place. See, there's a girl in New York who's supposed to be hosting the spirit right now. Another thing is that the Oracle's spirit has been passed on from maiden to maiden to continue to speak the prophecies of Apollo and Delphi – and by maiden I mean virgin."

As she let herself out of Jasper's arms, Alice asked, "So what's so wrong about this oracle taking possession of non-virgins?"

Percy looked at the floor somberly, "There was a woman, back in the nineties or eighties, who was a lover of Hermes. She had just given birth to a son a few months prior, and when she tried to take the Oracle's spirit…" Percy shuddered involuntarily at the memories of May Castellan, "It broke her mind. There was a curse on the Oracle's spirit at the time, so she was doomed to see flashes of the future for the rest of her life, and as a mortal, she couldn't do anything to prevent them. She just… She just went crazy. I met her last year, and it wasn't pretty."

Percy looked at Edward, and judging from his expression, he had seen Percy's memories of Luke Castellan's mother in his mind. Edward's eyes widened, "So there could be side-effects?"

"Maybe. I don't really know – the only thing we can do now is look at the prophecy itself. But first, Alice needs a checkup, no excuses." Percy focused, and quickly drawing water from the sink in the kitchen, he quickly enveloped Alice's limbs in an iron-solid watery grip as she immediately started to protest.

"Hey, how did I not see that?" she cried, pouting.

Percy's eyebrows rose in surprise, "You didn't?"

Alice shook her head, "No, I didn't… as a matter of fact, I can't see any of our futures at all!"

" **Ah, that would be my fault, I'm afraid."**

Everyone whirled around in surprise as a pillar of flame erupted in the middle of the living room, the vampires jumping away from it in panic. Percy immediately moved the water imprisoning Alice's limbs towards the fire, but it evaporated upon contact. He started to reach for Riptide, but instead smiled widely when the fire died down.

"Well, I can't say I saw you coming, my Lady," he said.A unique yet pleasant smell assaulted his nose – it reminded him of the campfire at Camp Half-Blood where the campers would have their sing-a-long's every night.

He received a smile in return. **"A favor for your father. He does care for you, you know… and you are one of a kind."** The goddess' smile became gentle." **Even if I didn't owe him anything, I would not have hesitated to help you."**

"Thank you, my Lady." To the others, he said, "Vampires, and Hybrid, may I present to you Lady Hestia, goddess of Family, Hearth, and Home, guardian of Elpis, and the thirteenth – and most important – Olympian."

Jaws went slack, hasty bows were made, and Hestia's cozy flame-filled eyes seemed to dance with amusement. **"Perseus Jackson, you flatter me."** The goddess was in her eight-year-old form, and just like the first time he met her, was dressed in a simple brown dress with a scarf wrapped around her head.

Percy's grin seemed to grow wider, "I only state the truth, Lady Hestia." He motioned for everyone to stand, and when they were done, his expression turned somber, "However, pleasantries aside, why are you here?"

At this, Hestia's expression softened – she did have a soft spot for Percy – and she said, **"I bring some advice, and some help. While your father may not be able to help you as much due to the Ancient Laws, Zeus does not keep his eyes where they should be… and as such, he will not notice me taking a temporal leave of absence."** Hestia winked at him, and turned to the Cullens – specifically, Nessie.

" **Renesmee Cullen,"** she said, **"Come forward, my dear."**

At Percy's reassuring nod, she did so, albeit shyly, her parent sharing a worried glance with each other as Nessie bowed slightly to the goddess. Hestia sat on the ground, crossing her legs, and after motioning for Nessie to do the same, she smiled sadly.

" **So young, and yet already called forward to duty… The Fates are cruel indeed."** At Nessie's crestfallen face, Percy sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders while her parents moved behind her reassuringly. A tear left its trail as it traveled down her cheek, and to everyone's surprise, it was Hestia who reached out and wiped it from her face.

Percy then asked the question that was on everyone's minds, "Lady Hestia… why Renesmee?"

Hestia sighed, removing her hand from Nessie's cheek, **"Why were you chosen as the Hero of the Great Prophecy? Why does anything in this world happen the way they do? It is Fate, child. But do not despair, for even though our fates are our own, we are never alone."** Here, she gave Percy a significant glance, and he nodded in understanding – whatever quest Nessie was embarking on, he would join her.

Nessie smiled at Hestia's words, obviously relieved. "The prophecy said that a bane beyond the gods would be defeated… what does that mean?"

Hestia frowned. **"It means that war is upon us again, I'm afraid,"** she said, confirming Percy's earlier conclusion. **"The immortal children of Gaia and Tartarus have risen once more. As to the land beyond the gods, you are not far. In fact, you have relatives living in the area."**

"Denali?" asked Carlisle.

" **Not so specific, I'm afraid. I do know that the giant you seek is in Alaska. However, before you do anything, you must go south. Follow your tracker's sense, Perseus. There lies your first step in this journey,** _ **for all roads lead to Rome**_ **. You have until the Feast of Fortune to succeed in this quest."**

Hestia then stood, Percy and Nessie mimicking her. Hestia held out her hand, and an eight-foot long iron staff materialized in it. One of its ends was blackened, and Percy realized why – it was the staff Hestia used to tend to the hearth.

Hestia's other hand then lit on fire, causing the vampires except Percy and Nessie to shuffle away nervously. Percy knew why – to kill a vampire, you tear the limbs off, and set the carcass on fire (he didn't know if his partial immunity to fire as a demigod son of Poseidon was transferred with his vampirism, but he wasn't going to bet his life on it). Hestia put her lit hand on the iron staff, and Percy and Nessie watched as a small rod measuring eighteen inches melted off from the heat. Hestia set down the now six-foot long staff on the floor, placing the melted rod next to it, and waved her hand over the two objects.

Immediately, the pieces of iron shimmered, turning into solid bronze weapons before their eyes. The staff seemed to narrow slightly, one of the ends sharpening until the entire thing became a _pilum_ , a light roman javelin, while the smaller eighteen inch rod had become a lethal eighteen inch knife. Nessie's gaze was filled with awe and wonder, and Hestia smiled at her reaction before making the two weapons float upwards with another wave of her hand.

" **Go ahead,"** she said, as her body and clothes started to flicker, **"Take them, and wield them with honor. The** _ **pilum**_ **will not break unless it is your wish, and if so the tip shall repair itself every day. These are my gifts to you, Renesmee Cullen, first and last Champion of Hestia, and Legacy of Silvia and Concordia!"** The last was said as the goddess' dress and scarf turned to black and her staff reappeared in her right hand, accompanied by a more stern expression.

It was in that moment that Percy realized that he was no longer looking a Greek goddess.

Vesta's body started to glow, and realizing what was about to happen, he covered Nessie's eyes, shouting at the others, "Cover your eyes and LOOK AWAY!" As he shouted the last syllable of warning, there was an explosion of light and power behind him that lasted a few seconds before vanishing suddenly.

When everyone looked back at the place previously occupied by the goddess, they were rewarded with a burnt floor, two floating weapons, and a sealed scroll.

… **ooOoo…**

After Vesta (or Hestia, whatever) had left, nobody moved. If someone had decided to stop by and peer into the Cullen living room, they would have been granted the sight of 11 statues looking at the curious sight of two weapons, a scroll, and a burnt floor. It had taken the arrival of Jacob's pack to startle the vampires and company out of their shock. Bella moved over to hug a shaking Nessie while Percy immediately took control of the situation, sending Jacob and his pack to scout the area – there was a chance that the goddess' aura and final flare of power might have attracted unwanted company. Jacob was reluctant to leave Nessie, but relented when he remembered the Leviathan.

After Jacob's departure, Percy turned to the vampires, but whatever he was going to say was forgotten when he saw Renesmee's crying face. Instead, he walked over to the floating gifts and took the scroll. It was sealed with wax, and after sparing it a curious glance, he put it in his pocket for safekeeping.

A small breeze alerted him to someone behind him. Bella spoke to him, "You'll protect her, right?"

Percy turned around and looked at the distraught mother, "I swear on the river Styx that I will look after her to the best of my abilities." Thunder rumbled outside the house, but the two vampires refused to break eye contact. After a few seconds, however, Bella's expression crumpled as a sob racked through her body, and she turned back to her family.

Percy didn't blame her.

His family knew of all the quests he had taken. They knew about the war, about all the death and the blood and the suffering. And thanks to Rosalie, they even knew about the extent of his power. She had pissed him off one day, and in his anger he had summoned a hurricane so strong that the winds had picked the blond vampire up and thrown her a few miles away. Thank the gods that they had been in the middle of the mountains at the time, because the hurricane had accompanied by a small earthquake as well.

There was no way in Tartarus that he wasn't going to go with Renesmee.

 _Besides,_ he told himself, _if not me, then who would go? Jasper? Edward? Rosalie?_ He scoffed, _they don't know how to deal with this. Hades,_ I _don't know how to deal with this._

So after all these years, how was he still alive?

"Luck," Percy jumped at Edward's voice breaking the silence, "skills, power, friends, and the fact that you don't give up no matter the odds. I've seen your memories – if there's anyone here that can take of her, it's you, Percy. I wouldn't trust anyone else, except for me, Bella, or Jacob."

Percy looked around, looking at each of the Cullens in turn. Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, Jasper, Alice… everyone had reassuring smiles even though he knew that they were worried about Renesmee as well. Speaking of Nessie, the seven-year-old hybrid in question had taken a deep breath, standing straight with a defiant expression. She smiled at him, and that was all it took for him to smile back.

"You do realize that you'll have to teach me how to use these things, right?" Nessie nodded at the floating weapons for emphasis.

Percy's smile turned into an evil grin, "Then we better get started."

Nessie gulped at his expression, but with a newfound confidence she took the _pilum_ in her right hand and the knife in her left.

They walked outside, the rest of the Cullenstrailing behind the two of them. After instructing Nessie the correct way to hold the javelin and knife combo, he pulled out his pen, uncapping it and letting Riptide expand. He looked at the Leviathan gauntlet on his left arm, "Coral!", and his new shield sprung into existence.

"We're pressed for time," he said, "So I'm going to have to give you a crash-course in fighting. Don't worry though, you'll enjoy it."

Renesmee gave him a confused look. "How am I going to- whoa!"

"Defend yourself!" he said as he charged, moving at vampiric speed as he swung Riptide in a downward arc – Nessie retaliated by jumping to the left, pushing his sword away with her knife and jabbing at his head with her _pilum_ , which was blocked by his shield. Percy pushed with his shield, and started a flurry of attacks against Nessie, forcing her on the defensive.

"Stop! No, don't move, stay right where you are," he said. The hybrid stayed completely still, and Percy proceeded to correct her posture, changing the position of her hand on the _pilum_ , and indicating how to defend herself correctly with the knife.

"Lupa told me something once – never fight force directly with force," he told her,"You're using the edge of your knife to stop my sword completely instead of letting it glance off of the knife's side. It's true that you have the strength to do it, but can your knife handle the strain? Celestial bronze _is_ stronger than mortal steel, but eventually it wears down if you're not careful. Take care of your weapons, and they'll take care of you. Now, again, and this time, move your feet more, if you were any more still you'd be a statue!"

And so it went for the rest of the day. The rest of the family watched with rapt attention as they fought, and after a while, they were joined by Jacob and his pack. Every now and then Jasper or surprisingly Carlisle would give a small input, but for the most part Percy and Nessie ignored their audience, Percy taunting her every now and then.

Eventually, Percy decided that the game needed to change. Concentrating, he drew water from the moisture in the air (they _were_ in Washington, after all – not a day went by when it didn't rain), solidifying it into a sphere and keeping it at Nessie's back, completely hidden from her but in plain sight for their audience.

Eventually, his plan worked. Jacob cried out a warning, and when Nessie was effectively distracted, he knocked her javelin and knife out of her hands with two successive strikes that left everyone with slack jaws.

Percy spoke, "We demigods have natural battle reflexes disguised as Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder. It gives us an edge in a fight, allowing us to pay more attention to our surroundings. It's an advantage that we appreciate and use without any regret. You as a half-vampire, however, have something different. I'm a four-month-old newborn, and when I hunt, I've noticed that my senses completely block everything out that's not related to my kill – it's only me and my prey. If you're hunting, that's fine, but in all cases where a battle's going on, _this does not work_. What if there's an arrow coming at your back? What if you're in an open battlefield and an enemy decides to stab you in the back? Keep your mind open at all times; focus on your senses and your surroundings, because there's no telling what could happen."

Nessie nodded in acceptance, panting from the fight, and Percy paused, before flicking his left index finger. Nessie's eyes mirrored her confusion before the widening in realization as she ducked the solid sphere of water. "Dodge," he told her as he sent the water at her again, and Nessie rolled away from the incoming missile.

Eventually, their training was stopped by Bella, who put her foot down by saying that Nessie needed her sleep. Truthfully, Percy agreed with her – he had just lost track of the time, and since they were leaving at noon the next day, she would all the sleep she could get.

"We'll go hunting in the morning before we leave," he said, hugging her goodnight, "All of us. Ok?" Nessie nodded, and he smiled reassuringly at her before planting a kiss on her forehead. After that, Edward and Bella took her to their cabin for one last night of sleep while he went back inside the manor – the rest of the family had gone back inside already.

As he entered what used to be Edward's room, he thought about the question that Nessie had given him unintentionally when he kissed her. He thought about what he had gone through, both before and after his transformation – all the pain, the suffering, and the death. He thought about Luke Castellan. He thought about Camp Half-Blood. He thought about his Father, and about his brother, Tyson the Cyclops. He thought about his friends back at camp, his cousins, Nico and Thalia. He thought about his mother, who was waiting for him to come home. And finally, he thought about Annabeth, the girl he loved.

Then, he thought about the question itself: _In the end, was it all worth it?_

He didn't even hesitate to give his answer: _Fuck yes._


End file.
